A glorious display

HOW many people can go away for five years and still command the kind of attention that Hozier does upon his return to the fold?

His comeback single Nina Cried Power that featured gospel singer Mavis Staples shot straight to the top of Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart. Though it was originally part of an EP of the same title, it served as the placeholder for his 2019 album.

His most successful song to date, Take Me To Church, already showed a maturity beyond his years. His latest album continues along the same vein, with plenty of thought to chew on having been written by a man of only 28 years of age.

You can almost understand the amount of time it takes for this kind of song to be written.

There is sophistication in every line and every word. None more so than in the title track, a love song written with fatalistic tones.

It is no surprise that Movement was selected as the lead single of the album, a sneak peek of sorts into the strongest weapon in Hozier’s musical arsenal, his vocals.

His voice leads the way in most of the album, with his incredible range working side by side with the audible passion and emotion he carries in every track. There is no lazy note, there is no half-attempted falsetto; this is a glorious display of a man doing what he was born to do.

If there was any doubt as to his roots and the genre of music with which he identifies, Shrike reminds the listener of his Irish roots and his folk influence. An emotional album that can get depressing at certain points. Wasteland, Baby! is definitely one of the best albums released so far this year.