Hot from successful appearances at Buckle & Boots & Country On The Coast and no doubt likely to be ripping up stages all throughout the summer comes Danny McMahon with his latest EP "Boys Cry Too". It's an EP, choc full of hooks and is a real stab at getting mainstream attention.
Opening with "Everything" that sees him take on as rich a timbre as any American singer. It's a song with the singer reflecting on the good times that each day are moving further away, he may have the "tattoo on my shoulder" but he no longer has the girl.
In trying to sound mainstream he has had to take on some of its worst traits, such as the random electronic noises however there is simply no denying Danny's ear for a tune and when you listen deeply there are lots of nice little production touches in the background vocals that far outweigh the annoying bleeps!
Lyrically, occasionally it gets a little cliched so we get "Sometimes you just don't know what you got till its gone" but apart from that it does a good job at creating the lost relationship in flashbacks and painting the singer at present "far from sober" asking "is it over? tell was it just a dream?"
Overall the song works and it sets the musical tone for the EP.
"Boys Don't Cry" is a subject rarely tackled, male emotion specifically about crying, the ultimate release of pent up emotion that still has a macho stigma attached to it "if you do then you're not a real man". It comes with some actual advice that seems honestly delivered
"Don't suck it up don't play it cool - been there done that it's the worst thing you can do - Boy's cry too", "Don't be ashamed just be who you are".
"When I See You" is something a little different in that it is not written by Danny, it was in fact penned by another songwriter, Dan Evans yet the song is intensely personal about the death of his grandfather which we hear about in the opening lines "the day there would be no more days". This becomes more than just another song and Danny does the words great justice for although there is the realisation that "I've got to move on with my life" it sees death as very much a temporary interruption and that they'll catch up with each other at some point in the future. It's another big ballad, with no gimmicks and all the more heartfelt for it.
Opening on a piano intro the final song "Pushing My Hands Down" is the type of song Danny does so well,with an almost double chorus that gives you 2 different hooks to like, it's got a swooping almost soft rock guitar solo, big drums and is only missing the crowd with their phones in the air.
An EP that certainly rewards richly on further listens and establishes Danny as one of the leading male lights in UK Country.
perfect justice "I've got to move on with my life"