Roisin Gordon: “Isn’t It A Shame” – at its most captivating when it looks inward

If you’re lucky, at some point in life you will encounter an artist who radiates, an almost inexplicable warmth, like there’s a tiny star glowing inside of them. The artist brightens whatever space their music enters. They immediately impact others, be that through recorded music or during live performances. For those struggling to associate an encounter on par with this experience, all they need to do is turn to Roisin Gordon. Ever since she began writing and performing music in her early teens, Roisin has been preparing herself for the live venues and crowds she has entertained in Asia, Australia, the United Kingdom and of course her hometown in Ireland.

Until a few days ago, I had never heard of Roisin Gordon, and then her single debut single, “Isn’t It A Shame” – set to release worldwide via all major music platforms and digital download stores on the June 20^th 2017 – made its way to my desktop.

The first thing that struck me about Roisin in general is that she seems not to be infected by the cynicism so prevalent in our culture. Her music has layers of depth, in the simplest of arrangements which is both surprising and interesting…and then there is her voice.

Roisin Gordon manages to have more fascinating nuances in her vocal cords than many other young female singers I know. And it is not simply the virtuosity that is usually displayed by many R&B or Soul singers who seem never to be content just to sing a line but must run it through a series of scales just to impress us with their vocal pyrotechnics. What Roisin does is magical. Her voice and phrasing are luscious, fresh and extremely ear-friendly.

“Isn’t It A Shame” gives you the sense that you’re hearing the track being recorded in real-time — a simplicity that is sure to make for a powerful live performance when she decides to include the song into her shows – however there are certain luxuries that can only be captured in the studio.  The track is at its most captivating when it looks inward, in a no-frills depiction of Roisin Gordon at her rawest. It is here that her personality and compassion comes through strongly.

It’s not that this song is particularly edgy or progressive – an acoustic guitar, her gorgeous voice, the picturesque storytelling, and some other subtle instrumental embellishments is all she brings in her musical toolkit on “Isn’t It A Shame”.

But they certify Roisin Gordon’s confidence in her own abilities as a musician, singer and songwriter – A calculatedly simplistic take, that files the appeal of her music down to its most basic essence. In fact, it’s the pure artistry and simplicity of her music that radiates the warmth and honesty missing in so much of today’s music.

The flavor of Roisin’s music on her debut single isn’t the sort that sets off fireworks and sees you raving and dancing around the room. “Isn’t It A Shame”  is the sort of track that is periodically hailed as being the real deal — no studio tricks, little musical polish, and a reliance on good songwriting, singing, and a melody, rather than hooks – In other words, pure music!

OFFICIAL LINKS: FACEBOOK – RED MATCH MUSIC