Paddy Casey

An old friend of 'Other Voices' - he appeared on the first, second and third series - Paddy Casey has gone from Dublin busker to one of Ireland's biggest selling-artists, but has always taken his time between his albums. His debut, 'Amen (So Be It)' was released in 1999; the 11-times platinum follow-up 'Living' emerged four years later while his latest, the Los Angeles-recorded 'Addicted to Company Pt 1', came out in 2007. Some would say that leaving such gaps is dangerous for an artist, but the loyalty of Casey's fan base disproves the theory that music fans these days have shorter attention spans.For 'Addicted to Company Pt 1' Casey decided that he wanted to add more depth and colour to his sound. He decamped to Los Angeles to work with legendary producer George Drakoulias. Among Drakoulias' credits were two of the great albums of the 1990s: The Black Crowes' 'The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion' and The Jayhawks' 'Hollywood Town Hall'. Together with some of the most respected session musicians in the business, he helped Casey create his most accomplished sounding album to date, and one which revealed the extent of the singer-songwriter's influences - from blues to soul to ragtime.While 'Addicted to Company Pt 1' hasn't sold as much - yet - as 'Living', such success usually only comes once in an artist's career and it proved that the well Casey is drawing from is a deep one. It will be interesting to hear what he does with his sound next - If the past is anything to go by, we should find out around 2011.