Two of life's certified profound events lay at the heart of this Meath-based singer-songwriter's second album. In the four years since his debut ( Little Apples ), Donegan's mother died and he became a father of two. Things such as these make a person think deeply and react accordingly, and if you're as assured a writer as Donegan, then that level of thought transfers itself to songs that resonate above and beyond the emotions that created them in the first place. Rosie My Dear (about Donegan's mother, who died of cancer weeks after the birth of his first child), Show Me Where It Hurts, Little Hearts, Robert Hanley and Mislaid Heart slip off the production line like well-honed artefacts. The songs, too, are bolstered by textured arrangements, as well as help from noted friends, including Clive Barnes and Declan O'Rourke. eugenedonegan.com
Download: Rosie My Dear, Little Hearts, Robert Hanley