Ronan Conroy: Not a Part of Anything

Ronan Conroy is slowly gravitating towards the musical heroes of his adolescence. His third solo album Not a Part of Anything takes a bow to The Cure and Hüsker Dü, with wall–to–wall bass, guitar and drums, but there is still room for a heartfelt ballad like Memory Afterbirth in which he is wearing his Irishness proudly upon his sleeve.

Conroy can play up a storm on both acoustic and electric guitar and he brushed up on his breathing techniques allowing him to hang on the note without losing volume. Whether he is doing a bold call-to-arms rock songs like Terms and You Little So-and-So or goes for a South-of-the-border tinged putdown song (Driving South<), passion is always reigning supreme.

Conroy has managed to bottle the energy from his days with hard-hitting folk rock band The Listeners and mixed it up with his love for alternative Eighties rock. Not a Part of Anything might be an album about disappointment, but Conroy's bravado and musicianship turn it into a clear winner.