For all his prestige and credibility as a songwriter, Paul Brady seems to need continually to prove himself - no bad thing for any artist. Hence The Paul Brady Songbook, an umbrella title for 23 shows he is staging this month at one of Dublin's best music venues.
It's a risky undertaking, but Brady is nothing if not ambitious, even if he does occasionally have the haunted look of a person who would be far happier watching someone else's gig.
Throughout the month, Brady will be joined by guests from the trad, bluegrass, jazz and blues fields, with backing from various musicians.
For the first show of his tenure, he was backed by his regular band, with Leslie Dowdall providing backing vocals. Brady's guest was Curtis Stigers, who proffered a sweet, soulful line in sax playing and a couple of songs that included I Wonder Why, his UK Top 5 hit.
Despite the trimmings - not to mention excellent sound, ultra-smooth light show, comfortable seating and air conditioning - it was clear that people were there to see Brady himself.
It's a testament to the man's staying power that he has been able to use this unprecedented series of concerts to delve into his back catalogue like never before. No new "product" to plug means no standard one-off gig of a few new songs peppered with greatest hits.
Brady measured the tone of the gig with a loose, leisurely pacing of songs, some of which hadn't seen the light of day for years. More fair-weather fans, lured to the gig by the possibility of seeing Brady up close and personal, were treated to classic tracks such as Crazy Dreams, Follow On, The Long Goodbye and Nobody Knows, the latter as perfect an AOR song as you're likely to hear.
Although not a dazzling display of Brady's strengths, this was a thorough, effective show, highlighting one of the finest songwriting talents in adult-oriented rock.
Runs until October 28th (bookings at 01-6097788)
