As a solo artist and with former band The Citadels, Cormac O'Caoimh has done a fair job of fusing Irish singer-songwriter values with the classic melodies of early Prefab Sprout. 'Start A Spark' is his first solo album though and one which - whilst encouraging - doesn't catch fire as much as the title suggests.
'Lazy Gazing' and 'Rochelle' tick all the right boxes for yearning vocals and guitars whilst 'Things Will Get' signals a decent stab at a punchier, rockier song but by 'View Of The World' he seems lost amongst the riffs. No surprise then, some of the best songs are also the most simplistic; a gentle lilting melody and O'Caoimh's plaintive tones against a Wendy Smith soundalike strike up the perfect combination for both 'Ghosts' and 'If You Feel' whilst 'Miles Of Sky' glistens most pleasantly. Now he just needs to produce those great moments more consistently.