Tales of Silversleeve explained
Tales of Silversleeve is the second album released by Irish singer Cathy Davey. It was released on 12 October 2007 as the follow-up release to Davey's 2004 debut Something Ilk. The album contains eleven tracks, including the singles "Reuben", "Sing for Your Supper" and "Moving".
Tales of Silversleeve led to several award wins and nominations for Davey and her album, including a win in the Best Irish Female category at the Meteor Music Awards. There was also a Choice Music Prize nomination for Irish Album of the Year 2007.[1] Although the album failed to chart, Davey received positive remarks from newspapers, radio stations and members of the general public alike, being described as "a bright, bold and breezy rush of imagination, creativity and sheer glorious sounds" by journalist and blogger Jim Carroll.[2]
Background and recording
Davey performed a nationwide tour in late May 2007, debuting songs from the album which at this stage was referred to as Silversleeve.[3] All but two of the songs were recorded in her home.[4] The album, released under the title Tales of Silversleeve, was preceded by "Reuben", its first single, on 21 September 2007.[5] Davey explained the title choice, "I had a runny nose when I was a child and let's just say I didn't wipe it with a tissue".[6] The album was produced by Liam Howe of Sneaker Pimps.[7]
Reception
Tales of Silversleeve received a largely positive reaction from critics and reviewers in the Irish media.
entertainment.ie reviewer Lauren Murphy described Tales of Silversleeve as "Without doubt, one of the best albums of the year", noting "there's a magic about Tales of Silversleeve that makes it an album you're almost afraid to listen to twice, in case it's not as good as you remember the first time".[8]
Jim Carroll, rock critic with The Irish Times, called the record "The most charming pop album you’ll hear in Zero Seven".[9]
Public service broadcaster RTÉ reviewer Harry Guerin said the album was "even more imaginative" than her debut and gave it four out of five stars.[10]
The Irish Independent's reviewer gave the album five stars, describing it as "a record that she can be proud of".[11]
The Irish Times placed Davey third in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009,[12] saying "There's no better female songwriter in Irish music right now".[13] Her closest female rivals on the list were Lisa Hannigan and Róisín Murphy at numbers five and seven respectively. Tales of Silversleeve was named sixth best Irish album of 2007 by John Meagher of the Irish Independent and ninth best album of the decade by Jim Carroll, Tony Clayton-Lea and Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times.[14] [15]
The album was certified double-platinum in Ireland.[16]
Track listing
Source
Singles
Tales of Silversleeve includes eleven tracks, including three singles. Ed Power of the Irish Independent described Davey's song "Reuben", a number one single,[17] as "a skewed romantic tirade glazed in sugar-candy vocals".[18] "Sing for Your Supper" was described by the same reviewer as Davey's "biggest smash to date".[18] "Moving" was used in as part of advertising campaign by mobile network operator Vodafone in Ireland.[18]
Awards
Tales of Silversleeve led to several award wins and nominations for Davey and her album.
Choice Music Prize
Davey's second album Tales of Silversleeve was nominated for the Choice Music Prize in January 2008.[19] [20] Surprise was expressed within the Irish media when she was beaten by Super Extra Bonus Party.[21] [22]
|-| 2008 || Tales of Silversleeve || Irish Album of the Year 2007 || |-
Meteor Music Awards
Davey won Best Irish Female at the 2008 Meteor Awards.[23] [24] [25] Tales of Silversleeve was also nominated for Best Irish Album at the same event but lost to Paddy Casey. Casey later admitted he would have preferred if Davey had won the award.[26] Upon being embraced by and photographed alongside Sinéad O'Connor at the launch, Davey remarked on how odd it was "to put your arms around someone you don't know".[27]
|-| 2008 || Cathy Davey || Best Irish Female || |-| 2008 || Tales of Silversleeve || Best Irish Album || |-
Notes and References
- News: Choice Music Prize shortlist announced. 2008-01-10. 2008-01-10. RTÉ.
- [Jim Carroll (journalist)|Jim Carroll]
- Cathy Davey to gig around Ireland. 2007-05-11. 2009-11-15. Hot Press. She headlines Cork, Cyprus Ave (May 26); Limerick, Upstairs @ Dolans (28); Galway, Roisin Dubh (29); Belfast, Speakeasy (30); Dundalk, Spirit Store (31). The tour will be the first time fans can get an earful of her second album, tentatively titled Silversleeve. It’s the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Something Ilk, which was her first LP for Parlophone..
- News: Paul Byrne. Cathy's no wallflower. 2007-06-25. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent.
- Cathy Davey announces residency tour. 2007-07-29. 2009-11-22. Hot Press. Tales Of… is produced by Sneaker Pimps man Liam Howe, and preceded on September 21 by its flagship single, ‘Reuben’..
- News: John Meagher. Q&A: Cathy Davey. 2007-11-05. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent.
- News: Jim Carroll. Marina on a mission. 2009-10-30. 2009-11-13. The Irish Times. The next step was hooking up with producer and co-writer Liam Howe (the guy from the Sneaker Pimps who produced Cathy Davey’s last album, among other releases)..
- Web site: Lauren Murphy. Cathy Davey – Tales Of Silversleeve. 2007-10-17. 2009-11-13. entertainment.ie.
- News: Jim Carroll. Cathy Davey "Tales of Silversleeve" review. 2007-10-16. 2009-11-13. The Irish Times.
- News: Harry Guerin. Cathy Davey – Tales of Silversleeve. 2007-11-20. 2009-11-13. RTÉ.
- News: Captivating Cathy. 2007-10-17. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent.
- News: The next 50 bands. 2009-04-10. 2009-11-13. The Irish Times.
- News: Jim Carroll . Tony Clayton-Lea . Sinéad Gleeson . Lauren Murphy . The 50 best Irish music acts right now. 2009-04-03. 2009-11-13. The Irish Times. Her live performances have been consistently enriching – witness her tremendous Electric Picnic performance last year (which even Elbow failed to worm their way into the packed tent to witness). There's no better female songwriter in Irish music right now..
- News: John Meagher. Local heroes. 2007-12-14. 2009-11-15. Irish Independent.
- News: Jim Carroll, Tony Clayton-Lea and Lauren Murphy. What, no Westlife? The best albums of the decade. 2009-12-01. 2010-01-06. The Irish Times.
- http://www.leitrimobserver.ie/whats-on/Cathy-Davy-brings-The-Nameless.6222645.jp Cathy Davey brings The Nameless to The Glens
- News: Friday February 20th 2009 . 2009-02-20 . 2009-11-15 . . Songstress and platinum selling artist, Cathy Davey joined Ryan and played her number one single "Reuben" live in studio. Cathy is playing in Tripod Friday 27th February. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090918224349/http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thetubridyshow/1255236.html . 18 September 2009 .
- News: Ed Power. Cathy: Eruption in the Tripod. 2009-03-03. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent.
- News: Choice Music Prize shortlist announced. 2007-01-10. 2009-11-13. RTÉ.
- News: John Meagher. Choice Cuts. 2008-02-15. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent.
- News: The Choice of regeneration?. 2009-02-28. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent. Then last year, as if over-compensating for the Divine Comedy victory, the jokers in the pack Super Extra Bonus Party took home the €10,000 cheque, to a general air of bemusement and bewilderment. Many asked: how, exactly, was Cathy Davey overlooked?.
- News: John Meagher. The week in... 11th – 17th April. 2008-04-11. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent. Some folks were very upset that this Kildare collective snatched the Choice Music Prize from the likes of Adrian Crowley and Cathy Davey, but there's no doubting their infectious enthusiasm and boundless energy..
- News: Andrea Smith. Rita and her family album. 2009-02-01. 2009-11-13. Sunday Independent.
- News: Fiach Kelly. Orange is the new red at the Meteors. 2008-02-16. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent. Dublin's Aslan won the Best Irish Band award, Best Irish Female went to Cathy Davey, Duke Special scooped Best Male and Paddy Casey won Best Irish Album for 'Addicted to Company'. The Blizzards won Best Irish Live Performance for their Oxegen gig last summer..
- News: Westlife are still number one. 2008-02-16. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent. Singer Cathy Davey won Best Irish Female while Best Irish Male went to Duke Special at Friday's glitzy ceremony at the RDS..
- News: Paddy Casey. Paddy Casey. 2008-12-27. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent. At the start of the year, Addicted to Company won the Meteor Award for Best Album, which was great, even if I think Cathy Davey's album should have got it..
- News: Anne-Marie Walsh. Sinead brings the Meteors down to earth. 2007-11-30. 2009-11-13. Irish Independent.
