Cork’s Eoin Shannon has long flirted with the traditions of soul and blues, but on ‘Highs & Lows’ he sharpens that vision into something deeply personal, spiritual, and human. The record unfolds in wrestled faith and lived experience, balancing hushed confessions with sweeping collaborations that give the album a spectacularly textured emotional weight.
From the opening bars of ‘Going Through Hell’, Shannon’s voice sits at the centre: grainy, warm, and full of the gorgeous sincerity that recalls the gravitas of Bobby Blue Bland or Leonard Cohen. Yet this isn’t mere imitation. Shannon leans into vulnerability with a frankness that feels modern, grounding his throwback influences in the urgency of the present.
One of the album’s strongest moments comes with ‘The Closer You’re To God’, a stirring meditation on faith as both comfort and challenge. Shannon’s belief that spiritual closeness invites trial is given flesh through Tom Savage’s aching instrumentation and his own gravel-edged vocal delivery. It’s the kind of track that feels destined for dimly lit listening; half prayer, half resolute battle cry.
Elsewhere, ‘Happiness Has Come to Town’ shines as a more delicate counterpoint, buoyed by Gaby Duboisjoli’s soulful tones and the elegant contributions of Malte Hortsmann on piano and Artem Litovchenko on cello. It’s moments like these where Shannon’s willingness to share the spotlight enriches the record, reminding us that his songwriting thrives in dialogue with other voices.
There’s grit too, on cuts like ‘Demon Lady’ and ‘Pull the Plug/Pull the Curtain’, where Shannon lets his darker impulses ride the groove of blues-rooted arrangements. These songs channel a restless energy, tracing the messy terrain of desire, doubt, and release.
At thirteen tracks in length, ‘Highs & Lows’ lives up to its name, a record unafraid to embrace both the shadows and the light. It feels less ike a soul-mapping exercise, a body of work that captures a man grappling with his demons while searching for transcendence.
For listeners drawn to music that balances grit with grace, Eoin Shannon’s latest is a compelling step forward, proving that the most enduring songs often come from the tension between despair and devotion.
