Outnumbered is the debut single
from Poneke alt-folk artist Greta O’Leary, and from the first delicate picked
notes on guitar, violin and double bass, the listener is being brought into an
incredibly atmospheric world. Her voice belies her age, as one can never
believe that anyone as young as this could have suffered the pain this voice
brings us. Over time a few more instruments are added to the mix, but it
is always her voice at the heart of everything, the dark light in the cave,
with everything else crushing around but not daring to get into the glimmer, no
matter how dim it is. I was trying hard to think who she reminded me of, and
the closest I could get to was Patti Smith, but that was still wrong, and then
while reading her bio I saw a name I hadn’t thought of in years, Vashti Bunyan,
and it all fell into place. For those who have never heard of Vashti, she
released an album in 1970, Just Another Diamond Day, which was recorded
with the assistance of Simon Nicol and Dave Swarbrick (both Fairport Convention)
and Robin Williamson (The Incredible String Band). It sold so poorly that she
dropped out of the music business altogether for more than 30 years, yet it is still an
incredible album (I am almost ashamed to admit I only have it on CD, but the original
vinyl is a collector’s item).
Blending ancestral undertones with precise insight, Poneke alt-folk artist Greta O’Leary's music is rich and penetrating.
With her captivating voice and dark humour she creates haunting, yet relatable human offerings. Sometimes likened to folk artists Mountain Man and Vashti Bunyan, but with hefty range and a little grit. Take a journey across her nostalgic and evocative inner world.
Growing up deathly shy and eccentric on a rural property, Greta lived in her own curated imaginative world. Ripe conditions for creativity, but not integration. She walks to her own step - it's fun, it's tragic, it's pure life. "Writing and feeling is truly all that has ever made sense to me".