Joe Doonan is one of those rare singer-songwriters in modern pop-rock whose music carries a genuinely meaningful message. Rather than remaining on the surface, his lyrics explore the realities of love, loss and heartbreak. His new EP is a perfect example, delving into the emotional aftermath of meaningful relationships coming to an end and tracing the stages of grief, loneliness and self-discovery that follow when someone who was once part of your everyday life is suddenly gone. Rooted in personal experience, the EP documents a deeply human journey through love, struggle and the mental toll of loss, while ultimately finding hope in the possibility of new beginnings, renewed purpose and deeper connections.
But what about the new EP then? Well, the intimate and intricate title title track “Hope” gets things underway, offering a perfect introduction to Doonan’s greatest superpower: the acoustic pop song. The recipe is deceptively simple. Recorded close to the microphone, the track is wonderfully sparse, leaving nowhere to hide behind layers of production or studio trickery. Fortunately, Doonan needs no hiding place. “Hope” is every bit as impressive as a vocal performance as it is a pop song, with a timeless quality that makes it sound like something James Blunt and Paul McCartney might have cooked up together. “’Til We Find Love” leans slightly more towards a fully fledged pop production, but retains all the hallmarks of Doonan’s music: infectious melodies, thought-provoking lyrics and strong, expressive vocals that carry more than a touch of a life well lived. “Before You Leave” closes the release with acoustic exuberance and melodic grandeur, leaving the listener wanting more. Give it a listen; if that chorus doesn’t have you tapping your foot and singing along, there’s a good chance there's something wrong with your hearing.
What can I say? Doonan’s résumé is every bit as impressive as his music. He has worked with multi-platinum and Emmy Award-winning songwriters including Paddy Byrne (Tom Grennan, Paloma Faith) and Rob Wells (Adam Lambert, Ariana Grande), while his live career has taken him to Liverpool’s Official Eurovision Festival, London’s prestigious Bedford, and sell-out audiences across Australia and the UK. Yet his greatest strengths remain his songs, his voice and his guitar. Whatever track you put on, there is an unmistakable sense that you’re listening to Joe Doonan. More importantly, if you let it, his music has the ability to transport you somewhere filled with beauty and light—even when the subject matter confronts life’s harshest realities.
Listen here: "Hope"
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Review by staff at MBTM
