Sean MacLeod has a sort of easy-going warmth in his "Romeo" the sort of thing that makes one feel like walking into a sunlit cafe on a lazy afternoon. His voice, full and full of experience, encloses you like a blanket, with that indefinable "lived-in" quality that can only be achieved by someone who has actually lived the songs they are singing. This honest, human glow has always been present in the sound of Sean, as in his days in Dublin with Cisco, or in his collaboration with the former producer of U2, Paul Barrett. It is not noisy or demonstrative, it is friendly. I had this sense of silent nostalgia, as I listened to "Romeo," as though I had found a letter, written to me in days gone by, by a person who knew me well.
These sunny, catchy guitar riffs that open the song immediately put one in a better mood-- they are familiar, but new, a bit Beatles sunshine sprinkled with Motown groove. It is that swinging, easy-going, never pressing too hard, rhythm of the drums. It is music that makes you feel like you are moving, smiling without knowing it. I recall listening to it as I was strolling in the park, the leaves falling beneath my feet, and it was as though I were walking and he was talking to me, friendly, almost melancholic.
And yet, behind its lightness, there is depth to it, little, careful cogitations between the melodies in Romeo. It has a spiritual interest there, obscure and sincere, the interest which causes you to stop a moment without knowing why. You can hear echoes of the lush harmonies of The Beach Boys, the sweet melancholy of The Smiths - but through the prism of the opinion of the listener, his own life. It is not attempting to be revolutionary. It's trying to be true. And in that straightness it is made special.
When the song is over, you are left with this residual warmth, as of a kindly hand on your shoulder, saying, breathe and get on with it. It is brief and sweet, and yet it lingers with you, and hums in the background of your mind. Of his next album, New Start, "Romeo" is just like that, a fresh new start that is not in a hurry to impress or demand attention, but quietly wins your heart. It is heartfelt, it is not highbrow, it is thoroughly human, and it is one of the songs that somehow makes the world a bit better over a few minutes.
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