The last time I saw Tommy Fleming he was still with De Dannan, and his big-voiced pop style managed to sound thoroughly incongruous alongside the traditional band. Now he's gone solo he can work to his strengths, presenting himself unashamedly as a pop balladeer.
For his Olympia concert, Fleming was backed by just two musicians: John Hurley (guitar) and David Hayes (keyboards). The pair made a big sound and were as good as a full band.
Fleming's voice is remarkably powerful and he brings unsubtle, high-powered emotion to each song. Through a Child's Eyes was typical - tuneful and sentimental, he milked it for maximum impact. The song also featured an attractive guitar solo from Hurley.
Fleming's pop inclinations were underlined by two pleasant cover versions - Spandau Ballet's Through the Barricades and the Bee Gees Run to Me.
Less successful was a decidedly bland version of Springsteen's The River (unlike Springsteen, Fleming looks and sounds so clean-cut that it's hard to see him working construction for any Johnstown company).
High-powered ballads get very wearing very quickly, so the occasional up-tempo tunes provided welcome variation. John Hurley's Jump In worked particularly well (and was reprised for a final encore), as did the lively Rolling Down the River.
As the evening went on, the ballads seemed to blur together, all arranged and performed in much the same way. Then again, that was exactly how the audience liked things. Fleming has clearly found his niche and does what he does extremely well.
