Bren Holmes - A Rush to the Start Line

by Kevin Wierzbicki

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Irish musician Holmes was a founding member of the celebrated group The Young Dubliners and A Rush to the Start Line is the second album of his solo career. The effort begins with "Gloria" and since Holmes is Irish you might get the idea that he's covering fellow Irishman Van Morrison's song "Gloria," but he's not. Unlike Van's oft-covered raucous song, Bren's "Gloria" is rather melancholy despite having a great pop hook and where he sings about a girl that has been let down by family and everybody else and is apparently a runaway. In a completely different mood "Don't Say You Will" bops along with a poppish Americana groove and again a great hook meant for singing along. Holmes pays tribute to Sinead O'Connor with "Ordinary World (for Sinead)," a cut with a somewhat ominous vibe that empathizes with how the late Irish singer suffered for her beliefs and outspokenness. "Shine" is a buoyant pop cut with a bit of an Americana bent that has the great line "There's a whole lot of lovin' left in me/So shine your lights on me and I'll be set free." Late in the track list is "This One," an album highlight that bounces to a happy melody even though lyrically it talks about all that's wrong with the world. Holmes is an excellent songwriter and he's at the top of his game with this 10-song set.

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