Drowning In The Shallow by Andy Flannagan

Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

The London-based Irish singer/songwriter has been around a long while though 'Drowning In The Shallow' is Andy's first new recording since 2004's 'Son'. I should report right away that this is a near perfect album - insightful and challenging lyrics, infectious melodies, warm, confident, clear and committed singing, tasteful musical accompaniment and gorgeous harmony vocals. I was hooked on the album right from the opening title track, a reflection on the downside of playing safe - "Failure is my fear/and caution is my call/But the surest way to sink/is when you don't move at all" - shades of St Peter on the lake. "The Reason" follows with a reminder of how we can overcomplicate and miss the simple things - "Will you stop looking for clue?/This is no mystery/Act justly, love mercy, walk/humbly with your God" This track is the most catchy and commercial on the album, you might find yourself humming it after only a listen or two. Other song titles reflect the album's themes of relationships, brokenness, humanity, pain, desire, shallowness - "Healing", "Addictions", "Fragile", "Whole". These are handled sensitively, with strands of Christian faith blended subtly - for example, in "I Will Not Be Leaving", a reflection on a boy he met in an orphanage in Kampala, he finishes on a metaphorical note - "We need an army/To storm this front/To reach for the broken/And touch the finger of God". Though every intimate word is crystal clear, there is a lyric booklet with Flanagan's illuminating commentary on the songs.