Oliver Cole: Father, Brother, Son review – Beatles-esque pop/folk energy

Many of us have waited at the side of that cold and miserable road, thumbs out, hoping that friendly transport will take us from there to some level of comfort before we become frozen to the spot.

With a new solo album dedicated to the memory of his mother and brother, Irish singer and songwriter Oliver Cole makes it clear he was once that solitary backpacker.

Father, Brother, Son (Cole’s third album, following 2015’s Year of the Bird and 2010’s debut, We Albatri) sees him very much adjusted to the losses and gains of the past ten years with a batch of songs that summarise the emotional rollercoaster.

There’s a neat storyline, too, with opening song All Your Love and closing track Choose Carefully, Emily juxtaposing biographical specifics of “toy soldiers” and “hand me downs” with advice for his young daughter – “if you eat an acorn, be warned, take it from me, a tree you’ll be”.

The music model is suitably plaintive, with pristine Beatles-esque pop/folk melodies (several of which are bathed in sublime string arrangements by Fiachra Trench) energising the overall mood.

It’s a brave move by Cole to outline such personal stories in a manner that is far removed from his early days in crunchy, noisy rock bands, but the end result is plain: hitching a lift is a thing of the past.