IAN SMITH & CONOR BOWMAN

Since the release of his first album, Restless Heart, in 2002, Ian has released several other albums, either solo or with the help of musicians such as Stephen Campbell, Germans Peter Kerlin and Jens Kommnick, and American Rob Stein. This time, he is accompanied by Conor Bowman on his seventh album, Fish & Star.

Ian met Conor almost twenty years ago at a songwriting retreat organised by IMRO in Donegal. Conor, originally from Galway, is a barrister/Senior Council in Dublin and has written several books or novels. He also writes songs and has recorded two albums. Their meeting led to regular collaborations, notably on some of Ian's previous albums: Last Call in 2019 and The Woodstock Sessions in 2022.
This time they return as a duo, both for the composition of the eleven songs on the album and for the performance, as they share the vocals equally, alternating on the different tracks.

They are not alone, of course, and are accompanied by a number of talented musicians, such as Mick McCarney (guitars), Billy Robinson (bass), Finn Drumm (keyboards), Niall Murphy (fiddle, dobro), Steve Cooney (guitars), Seamus Devenney (percussion), Manus Lunny (bouzouki, low whistle) and a few others. The musical accompaniment is in a beautiful folk-pop-rock style.
Throughout the album, we discover some beautiful melodies: Down here in Skibbereen, Just Once, Lost and found with Me, Elizabeth, Grafton Street, Christmastime in Galway... written by one, the other or both together. The tracks follow one another with a gentle intimacy and reveal, as we have come to expect from Ian, treasures of sensitivity and a lucid view of the world around them. 
The only regret is the brevity (only 39 minutes) of this beautiful album.

Own Label FS002 - killietiffy@gmail.com - conor.bowman@gmail.com