Seeing Things, Self-released ****

Each time Seeing Things ends, I feel I have heard more, and yet it seems much more remains to be revealed. The music sounds both familiar and distant. The opening track, To Begin, sets the tone: "We start from a place of unknowing/Quietly work our way up/Without maps or charts for the going/Just strength in the heart and the gut . . ." Donegal singer-songwriter Doherty is off on another journey to the heart, with songs of seductive melancholy. The music is crafted by Doherty and co-producer Michael Keeney with James Delaney's piano and the Arco String Quartet providing the signature sounds. Actually the real signature is Doherty's deep, unhurried voice and his acoustic guitar picking, exploring the space between Donegal and America, even reaching for Sinatra in the big ballad I Saw the Rose or echoing Cohen in I'm Going Now. Serious recognition is overdue. kevindoherty.ie

Download tracks: Red Sun, I'm Going Now