Paul Harrington: A Collection

Album Review

Paul Harrington is most fondly remembered for his performance, with Charlie McGettigan, of "Rock N' Roll Kids," the runaway winner of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest (and it remains one of the most comprehensive victories in the contest's history). Fourteen years later, Harrington has again tasted success as the lead singer in Michael Flatley's "Celtic Tiger Live" show; enough success, in fact, to propel his first "hits" collection — appropriately titled Collection — to the Irish Top 40. Spanning the breadth of Harrington's recording career from his breakthrough hit, the definitive recording of Randy Edelman's "Uptown Uptempo Woman," to the freshly remixed "What I'd Say," dubbed here "What I'd Say 2008." Though five of his own compositions are included here, it's Harrington's choice of cover that is most revealing. "Uptown Uptempo Woman," Chris Montes' "The More I See You," and the Temptations' "My Girl" demonstrate the singer's taste for classic, theatrical string arrangements and the subtle fusion of early rock with rhythm n' blues. It's an influence that carries over as much to originals like "Time for Talking (Is Over)" and "Feel Your Spirit" as much as it does his own unique interpretations of classics.