Michael J. Sheehy and The Hired Mourners - With These Hands: The Rise And Fall Of Francis Delaney (2009)

Michael J Sheehy, former frontman of avante-garde goth band Dream City Film Club, has decided to try something a bit different with this, his latest solo album. With These Hands – The Rise And Fall Of Francis Delaney is one of those rare and dangerous things, a ‘concept album’. It tracks the life of prize-fighter Francis Delaney, and much like the fictional focus of its title, it has moments of glory and others spent flat on its arse.
Boxing has been a big part of Sheehy’s life, and there’s a fair amount of autobiographical stuff here, as well as observational. He tried his hand in the ring at a young age, and has been a fan of the noble art ever since. He also acknowledges the concept album was a big risk, as it’s a topic done before and that’s hard to do without slipping quickly into cliché.

So does he succeed? Well, partly, but not completely. It’s mostly gritty, unpleasant stuff in the lyrics department. There’s lots of blood, guts, homophobia and failure, as our hero falls from grace after throwing a fight. But the grim reality can’t hide the fact anyone sitting down to write this album would’ve come up with the same (yes, sadly clichéd) topics: youthful success, growing confidence, the thrown fight, the lost love, the decline. But that’s not to say there’s not a lot of merit here too.

Anyone au fait with Sheehy’s work will find themselves in familiar musical territory. The music is a mix of dirty Tom Waits blues, Nick Cave goth, country folk and more than a touch of Vaudeville. He talks, sings, growls and barks his way through his full gamut of singing styles, and while the song styles are varied they hold together well as a whole. There are also some inspired choices in the female vocal department, which nicely break up the album. Bluesy and deeply soulful voice of Gemma Ray lights up ‘Frankie My Darling’, the crazy avant-garde blues of Sandy Dillon make ‘Ain’t A White Boy Alive’ a highlight, while the gloriously powerful voice of Mary Epworth bolsters several of the songs.

With These Hands was a brave project, ultimately let down a little by the cliché Sheehy was afraid of, plus a few descents into musical genres that fit without being convincingly pulled off. However, the standout tracks – such as the gospel tinged ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’, the crazed ‘Ain’t A White Boy Alive’ and the touching ‘When Did We Grow So Old?’ – make this a worthy addition to his canon.