December 2006

Think Magazine, Singapore

Love still sucks...

A crooner and deep voice that is reminiscent of Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker are the components of Shamus Dark's tenor.

REVIEWED BY SIMRAN PANAECH

Song For Suicidal Lovers is a celebration of the jazz greats that span from the 1930s to the 1990s. The album is mostly cover versions of the late legends' songs rearranged and produced by Pete Millward, with the exception of one original. A true introduction to the jazz era with a modern touch. Queasy listening as decribed by Shamus and that it definitely is. Shamus's desire to seek a new, younger audience who have not heard of jazz classics, as stated in an interview with Jeff Brown at evolutionofmedia.com, like some of those featured in his debut album such as "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Good Morning Heartache", is certainly fulfilled. This album stands out for me as it takes me back to an era of true music and vocals, an era I'm not entirely familiar with and yet now, after listening to Shamus's album, I feel much acquainted. Attempts by modern jazz singers like Michael Bublé, Jamie Cullum and singers attempting jazz like Robbie Williams and Robert Downing Jr. (an actor for that matter) do not come close in comparison to this interesting Shamus. His voice carried the genre in a style that is close to the legends and gives you a sense of contemplation. You feel his bues, his need to express, his need to sing and show the beauty of jazz. You feel you get a sense of him.

(more coming - see JPG below)...a perfect soundtrack to a rainy, stormy day meant for you to stay indoors enjoying the cool of the muffled raindrops behind closed windows... while you sit in a long chair leaning back, eyes half closed, cigarette in one hand and a hard stiff drink in the other.

This is a great introduction to jazz and, more importantly, to this quintessential character of Shamus Dark. An amazing debut, I will give him that, and his story makes an exciting read by Flann O'Neill. It all seems to fit together with his debut album, from the cover design to the tracks chosen. Check the site out, hear the tracks, buy the album. This is one person I'll be keeping an eye on. Just to see what happens if nothing else.