Review: Derek Ryan

Derek Ryan's musical output is rather prolific. Having spent the early years of his music career as a vocalist in boyband D-Side, who are no doubt best remembered for the single 'Speechless', Ryan made a conscious decision post boyband fame to focus on country, the musical genre that had defined his early music tastes.

Having spent 2006 to 2010 on the road honing his sound, he independently released his début solo album 'A Mother's Son' some five years ago. Since then he has built a solid fanbase on his home turf.

With his sixth studio album 'One Good Night' having catapulted straight to the top of the charts in Ireland, Ryan now hopes to emulate his success in the UK.

Boasting 15 tracks, Ryan's repertoire relies heavily on cover versions. While some may turn their nose up at his leaning so steadfastly on tried and tested songs, the truth is that Ryan's skill as an interpreter of these well-known hits is second to none.

Rather than simply release a carbon copy of the song that scored chart success for other artists, he has shaken them up a little to give them his own distinctive flavour. Notable success stories are a slowed down rendition of Walk The Moon's 'Shut Up And Dance' and a playful take on 'Patsy Fagan'.

However, for all the success stories there are the paint by number moments, with the biggest sin being a rather bland take on 'The First Cut Is The Deepest'. As a song that has been covered so frequently, Ryan really needed to do something outstanding but instead delivers a real middle of the road rendition. Equally uninspired is a karaoke rendition of 'Cecilia'. Even The Vamps did a better job of that one!

Lead single 'Bendigo' is proof that Ryan is best placed as a singer/songwriter focusing on his own striking, radio friendly sing and dance along ditties. If only the only had been filled with a higher ratio of original compositions, it would have shone a lot brighter. As it is it runs a little too long, with a good couple of songs that warrant cutting from the final tracklist.