Brian Flanagan - Where Dreams Are Made (2017) [DSD64] DSF + Hi-Res

The melodies are catchy but not banal. After having listened to the album a few times you’ll find many of the wonderful tunes continually rotating around in your head – getting more familiar & enjoyable with each turn. That is of course also due to Flanagan’s warm & velvety voice, the soft background choirs & the unassuming but wonderfully musical & supportive instrumental backing.

Good examples are the haunting lamentations of the flute on the title track “Where Dreams Are Made”, the crystal-clear yet warm Irish pipes in “Flowers In The Window” – a piece in memory of a friend, & the piano dripping notes like a tap in the self-searching “Whole Lot Of Livin'”. The harmonium in “Lagan Love” is played by Flanagan himself, conjuring up the picture of mists rising from the river.

The listening experience gets a further deeper dimension if you read the song lyrics with their surprising images in the graphically opulent SACD-booklet. Brian Flanagan often sings quite quickly – with sometimes unexpected stops & starts. He occasionally throws in Irish words like “grá” (love), & not only in the traditional “Lagan Love”.

Tracks:

01. Flowers In The Window
02. The Gift
03. The Painter
04. Whole Lot of Living
05. The Question
06. Where Is The Love
07. Home
08. My Lagan Love
09. Where Dreams Are Made
10. To Love
11. Fly Goodbye