I think I'm most impressed with the depth of the lyrics. Musically, it's all so darn listenable.  I've grown accustomed to most accessible music having shallow lyrics, but Mick Brady manages to slip an unexpected twist into most of his songs.  These twists give the songs an intellectual depth that surprises me every time I catch it.

The other thing that occured to me is that I've listened to many albums by top bands where only one or two songs were any good. By contrast, this whole darn album is good. THAT says a LOT".

QuicoReed  (Songramp)

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Mick Brady takes listeners back to the sounds of the late 20^th century with his fourth solo release, Small Town Trouble.  His lyrics are painted with romantic anguish and societal disaffection and he finds a way to tell a detailed story within each of his songs.

Brady does well to notice the “untold stories” of the people around him and to effectively transform those perceptions into the song lyrics of both the opening track, “Small Town Trouble”, and the album as a whole.

Being from Dublin, Ireland, his roots shine through not only in his voice, but also in his lyrics. “Men In Black” and “I Remember The Rare ‘Aul Times,” specifically, display his roots and the events that have transpired throughout his life. Brady sings about the Catholic school that he attended as a kid in “Men In Black.”  The weekdays were filled with oppressive rules, but the dances on Friday nights made everything else bearable. Brady sings:

“A slow dance was true romance

Made you feel that you had a chance

And made you forget everything that you’d been told.”

 “I Remember The Rare “Aul Times” is a ballad that will keep you listening until the very end.  In each verse, Brady tells the separate stories of Danny, Maggie Blue, and Bella who all struggled to get by from day to day. Though the story is gloomy, the song’s melody hints at a hopeful conclusion. Brady introspectively notes:

"They got nothing, but they still believed.”

 “Dreamers and Believers” is the perfect anthem for the late night crowd at any small town pub.  Its fast tempo piano melody and the country twang of the guitar make you want to immediately start humming along to the melody and snapping your fingers to the beat. The song is about the feeling of being a social outsider and trying to find a place where you belong.

Small Town Trouble will reel you in from the very beginning and, by the second listen, you’re sure to be singing right along with Brady and his loveably gruff Irish accent. From soft, poignant rock ballads to peppy rock tunes and twangy country melodies, this album has it all.

Alec Cunningham (Review You)

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

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‘Rebel’ Rod’s Review – Mick Brady’s self released “Small Town Trouble” – Truly, has the potential to bridge genres and generations

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Niall Toner (RTE Radio) on Track 3, "The Man That I Used To Be"

"Wonderful song, an absolute little masterpiece.  I hope it moves you the way it moved me"

July 2011

"I often think that the sign of a good song is that you can hear something in it that you can identify with and I guess there's a piece of us all in this wonderful song"

 August 2011

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QuicoReed (Songramp) on "The Man That I Used To Be"

"There is some awesome shizzle here.  What an amazing lyric, and I'm not easily impressed with lyrics, but this is absolutely top notch and musically it's phenomenal"

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Sworn Red (Soundcloud) on Track 4 "Take It Where You Want To Take It"

"Just a rock solid rock, no need for fancy magic, just guitars, drums, bass, vocals and brilliant lyrics, exactly what it needs to be"

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Small Town Trouble contains nine new original songs.  These are serious songs that deal with darker issues such as the pressure to conform, repression, destructive behaviour and failed relationships.

The album was produced by Peter Eades.  Paul Lynch plays keyboards and Philip Gargan provides backing vocals.

New album of humorous songs released in September 2010.   This album contains seven new songs by Mick and three co-writes; two with Jeff Mondak and one with Richie Maguire.   Paul Lynch is on keyboards and Ken Damkier and Gerry Crowe make guest appearances on lead guitar.  Richie Maguire sings lead vocal and plays guitar on his co-write.

This is Mick's second album of original songs. The ten songs on this album were written over a period of three weeks on a journey through the deserts of Arizona and California out to the beaches of the Pacific coast ....'on the road between the desert and the deep blue sea'.

On April 8th he gave the album a fantastic review and played three tracks.  Tomm continues to play a track or two every night on his show.