There’s a penetrating and evocative quality to this first album by Sligo singer and songwriter Jerome Taheny, writes David Dwane. Six original songs and four poems set to music make up the ten tracks on “The Arrow and The Song”,a recording that conveys perfectly his honeyed baritone voice.
And Jerome’s distinctive finger-picking guitar accompaniment helps carry his songs into the realms of eminence. The gentle folk songs are written by Jerome, and his album has already won the admiration of The Waterboys’ Steve Wickham, who described it as “enchanting with ësuperb guitar playing and arrangements”. The title track is based on a Longfellow poem and sets out the aspirations of the singer, which is for his songs to find their way into the heart of the listener. The poetic works are from two old world and two modern day poets and, when balanced with his original songs, combine to give the album a rich an subtle feel, with an undertow of life’s more serious issues.
The songs touch on topics such as illness, alcoholism, depression, and life’s decisive moments, which, according to Jerome, are often forced upon us, but also offer oppertunities in which positivity can be harnessed in adversity.
The album was recorded in Tony Maher’s Headford Studio and produced by the noted songwriter and singer Johnny Duhan. Jerome lived in Ballina for a number of years, where he embraced and supported live music in the town, and he continues to visit his many friends in the area on a regular basis.
The CD is available to buy in Emmett’s and Gaughan’s Ballina, or through his website at www.tontotaheny.com. Watch out for gigs by Jerome later in the year, details of which will be posted on his website. That’s www.tontotaheny.com.
By David Dwane. This article was published in “Western People” on Monday 29th of September