I am aware that it has become a cliché to spend a review of 'I Am A Bird Now' raving about Antony Hegarty's amazing voice, but it is impossible not to mention it, because it is what drags you in and makes you feel at home when you listen to this album. There is nothing really like it, it is impossible to put into words, it is soulful, haunting, you have to hear it to get an idea of how great it is. Hegarty clearly has a big natural talent and it is not one that he puts to waste. 'I Am A Bird Now' is just sheer beauty. Even if you take Hegarty's voice out of the mix, you've still got a collection of very deep, dark and meaningful piano masterworks, which are lyrically breathtaking and musically magnificent. So much of Hegarty's character just leaks out of 'I Am A Bird Now' and this is good because he is more interesting than you could possibly ask of a musician. The amazing, trance-like opener 'Hope There's Someone' is a song that you will remember for it's pure elegance, there is an inescapable dream-like quality throughout the album, particularly on this song, that you will be unable to resist. He also pulls in some huge names to aid him (Rufus Wainwright, Boy George, Lou Reed) and he pulls out some of the best performances from these people in years. A beautiful album.
By: Totskymax.