A Review Of Vince Brophy and his Album Stronger Than You Know

One evening I was performing myself in New South Wales in a smokey bar in Cowral in the Southern Highlands .
The entertainment of evening was put on by local folk club .
Apart from myself another Irish singer songwriter was there .Vince Brophy.

Its a special something about Dublin that makes Vince Brophy tick . .
I was lucky enough to pick up some of Vinces albums for my Irish Radio program Craic With Mc .
As I listened to Vince and his songs I was very impressed with his work .
A definite Dublin was there on all of his albums.

One of my favourite albums of his is entitled ,“ Stronger Than You Think ”
First released in Australia in 2002 and like a dark glass of Irish stout that takes time to pour and enjoy, your man
is much the same .

As I sat down and had a listen to the album I discovered a lifetime
of emotion in a single CD .
I felt the pain and hurt in the songs and a great strength there as well .
Its one of those albums where together there are songs of families ,
songs of days on the boats ,
songs about a lover ,
songs about friends and songs about being an exile .
Life as an exiled Irishman far away in Australia .

The album is a musical jigsaw and I have to say an album no puzzle to me .

I would like to talk about some of the songs on the album and so I’d like to begin with the title track itself which is a tribute to the virtue of those Irish people left behind as their loved ones where send away . As they left the land how hard it must have been and yet they continued to remain strong with all the hardships they had to endure . When during those black days in Irish history when the coffin ships where leaving Ireland , when the hunger pains turned the young into weak and old ,
the Irish were stronger than you know . When Irish convicts were transported to Australia, and punished for a crime they never committed , the Irish were stronger than you know , and even today when our land has seen a troubled hand grind
away at the very flagstones we walk upon, the Irish were Stronger Than You Know .
One thing we Irish are blessed with is a strong Celtic heart, and long may that beat and tell the world that we are always stronger than you know .

The track Ceildhs On Sundays is one of those songs we can all relate to .
I still recall every Sunday at my Grannies my sisters and I dancing and singing ,like there was no tomorrow . Sure for many people after mass on a Sunday is when you
would gather and share a story or a song or two . Memories are often like an image that we can pass on to another generation . In this song Vince tells how important it is not to loose that culture .

I think this is the first time I have heard The Star of The County Down played as the love song that it was meant to be . Here is a timeless song performed with the delicate precision of a heart surgeon .

I am reminded of so much in the track entitled Kiss The Child .
There is a vast sea of emotion stirring between the lines of this song .
Being Irish we know well the loss of things near and dear to us , that is why we have learnt to walk silently with it all, even our tears have been worn as the smile in a brave disguise . This track has a beautiful vocal arrangement and one of the deepest
emotions on the album come through here .

On the track called Dublin Rain , Vince remembers his Father . If you listen to the song you’ll find Vice has put a lot of powerful and very personal parts of himself into this song , and so you can almost be there with him in the Dublin Rain .
The track Flight Jig has a lovely feel to it . The guitar work has crafted itself well into the lyrical hooks that play a major role with this number .
Like that famous line in one of Mc peaks songs , he’s been away now for so many years , he’s read all the papers and pulled back the tears . This essence of being in Exile is one of the keys to unlock the extraordinary talents of this excellent singer /songwriter now living in Australia .

There are two songs on the album that have emerged from Vince playing around the world . They are Calling Wooden Boat To Brest and We Must Away .
For the serious musician theres no feeling like performing live to an audience .
It is also an welcome invitation for the songwriter to become inspired . In these two tracks Vince reminds us to recharge our life and pours us a drop of friendship ,
A toasts to the health of all those who write songs , play music and hardly ever become rich in the process .

Watching the blue and green is a song that reflects the emptiness of a stare into the wilderness when you are either in exile or imprisoned . This song highlights part of the experience of being somewhere between the devil and the deep blue sea .

There is a genuine statement very revelant in the track ,
In A Moments Truth .
The perfect person for us all is the hero . What better hero is there than one who loves us better than we do ourselves ?

I think the best track on the album is Macquaries Curse (Out There)
There is a magic presence with this number that poses the question ,
who are they that try to keep us in our chains when we are born to roam this earth .

Shame on those tyrants who have made a hell for the innocent .

Talent like Vince Brophy doesn;t just happen , it's worked for very hard .
Vince helps many people and often attends workshops all over the world to achieve the hughest skill of musicianship and craftsmanship with his lyrics .

Long may people such as this continue to bring their original material into the world . It indeed is Stronger than you think .

THE END

By Paul McCann