Wayne Brereton is a folk singer-songwriter from Co. Offaly in Ireland who has played bass for Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfe Tones and fronted his own band, The Cardinal Sins.
‘The Robin's Call’ is a fairly modest collection of traditional takes on Irish, Scottish & Australian ballads. One of the seven tunes (’S Cuma Grian No Sion) is sung in Gaelic.
Brereton’s debut solo release was only made possible following a recovery from a congenital heart condition the treatment of which was further complicated by the pandemic. He was confined to hospital for six weeks without visitors until eventually being discharged in February 2021. As he says, “It was a victory for me to finish this record.”
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The album’s title was inspired by both of Brereton’s late grandmothers who often spoke of the robin as a strong resilient bird that protects itself and will always return to where it should be. According to local folklore, the arrival of the bird is a sign of a friendly greeting from someone who has passed on.
The worthiness of the album lies not so much in the music but in the resilience and courage of the performer.
Hear the album on Bandcamp
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