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Hozier delivers admirable debut

First full-length release drips with fuzzy, promising blues-rock

“Babe, there’s something wretched about this / something so precious about this,” Hozier wails on one of his most upbeat songs, “From Eden.” In this line is the essence of bluesy rocker Hozier’s self-titled debut LP, a set of songs themed around joy and suffering.

Hozier’s powerful, expressive voice makes even the darkest lines sound lovely. He does just this on lead single “Take Me To Church,” a rousing gospel-spirited number about a love so all-consuming it borders on self-sacrifice.

Even more remarkable, however, is the ballad “In A Week.” A duet with Alana Henderson, the song is the most touching, tender moment on the album. The perfectly harmonized line “and they’d find us in a week / when the buzzards get loud,” which tells the listener the song is about two dead lovers decomposing in a field, makes the track at once wretched and precious.

Hozier makes frequent use of a backing choir. The chorus of “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” bursts with almost manic energy. The track, along with “Jackie and Wilson,” exemplify Hozier’s typical guitar style: rhythmic, distorted and drenched in reverb.

“Jackie and Wilson” also offers a nice moment of variety as one of the happiest songs on the album. An old-school “let’s settle down”-type love song, it shows Hozier is not confined to doom and gloom.

A different, highly impressive guitar style is showcased on “To Be Alone.” In one of the album’s most stripped-down arrangements, Hozier thumbs a droning bassline while churning out blues licks as he wails the verses. The song is brooding and heavy, and its atmosphere is a perfect foil for Hozier’s falsetto in the chorus.

The album’s production is its weakest point. In some ways it’s reminiscent of the production of The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, echoey with a fair amount of overdrive. Unfortunately, there are several moments where the lead vocals become too up-front and harsh (the chorus on “Someone New,” for instance). At other times, the lead vocal jarringly disappears too noticeably into the backing chorus. Also, because several of the tracks on this album come from Hozier’s first two EPs, there are some inconsistencies in production from track to track which keep the record from feeling completely cohesive.

   

Production issues aside, there’s not much to complain about on “Hozier.” The songs strike a skillful balance between darkness and jubilation. The album’s gentlest, string-accented ballads are as expressive and well-crafted as its raucous blues numbers. It’s unfortunate that so many songs here are drawn from previous EPs, leaving the question of what other gems Hozier might have in store. Hopefully they’ll be revealed on future releases. In the meantime, this debut is a strong starting point.

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