Rating: 8.5
The horrendously rare talent that is Michael J. Sheehy has finally released his fourth solo album after a five year period that began when he was dropped from Beggars Banquet, a huge mistake on their part, in 2002. This probably happened because Sheehy, although incredibly gifted, is so unfathomably unknown as an artist. From London, he started out in the mid 1990’s as the singer and songwriter in Dream City Film Club. His former band combined the incendiary with the sorrowful, sounding like an amalgam of the best of Bauhaus, The Stooges, Nick Cave and PJ Harvey. What set them apart from the others, however, was the voice of Michael J. Sheehy. His fragile, often vulnerable sounding vocals are the antithesis to the bravado of singers such as Iggy Pop and Peter Murphy. Sure, he adjusted his voice for the more raucous and cacophonous material, but on the slow, doleful songs, his talent as a singer truly shines. Dream City Film Club disbanded in 1999, and Sheehy has gone on to create a succession of solo albums that focus on the down tempo, mellow side of his songwriting. His first record, Sweet Blue Gene, is perhaps his best release as he found the perfect balance between swampy, delta blues and heart wrenching ballads on that album. Although he becomes a little bit more placid with each release, Ghost on the Motorway continues in much the same manner, and focuses most on his gospel, country and blues influences.
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