The Last Circus Act
Melmac, 2015
8/10
An esteemed composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Conor Mulroy sequestered himself and several musicians in a cabin recording studio for ten days to flesh out this 5th album, The Last Circus Act.
“Old Country Road” leads with playful banjo as Mulroy’s warm vocals draw us in to the inviting bluegrass influenced tune that recruits Paige Garfield on harmony vocals, and “In Winter’s Wind” follows with a timeless folk quality as playful percussion from Tom Arey anchors the pretty landscape.
At the halfway point, “Brown’s Eyes” benefits from Mulroy’s carefully picked guitar as strings complement the graceful landscape, while “Norwegian Eyes” offers some of the best singing on the album as a dreamy setting develops.
Near the end, “Struttin’ To Some Granola”, one of the fuller tunes, offers a sublime instrumental, and the title track exits the listen in 6/8 time with a darker tone as a duet unfolds with a spiritual quality.
Together with artists who have played with Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and the Brian Blade Fellowship, Mulroy pens a very personal and often intimate album that came after a near death experience which kept him in the ICU for the better part of a week. This served as a great introduction to Mulroy’s song craft for me, as his very genuine brand of singer-songwriter sounds certainly left me intrigued and willing to explore further.
Travels well with: Spencer Cullum- Coin Collection; Andrew Combs- Ideal Man