Yes, massively underrated - brilliant songwriter, lyricist, composer, arranger, musician and of course vocalist. Most of the songs just work best in the context of the album, and it's hard to pick out the songs that work as singles. The variety in style, tempo, arrangements and just general energy makes the albums just such a joy to listen to in full. But it's way too orchestral, and far away from the hip sound of the moment, to be well suited for radio, so it's no surprise you never heard a lot of it. There is a lot of humor in the lyrics and the performance, but I would rarely call this music outright comedic. And the man sure knows how to sing. He did a duet with Tom Jones once (it's on Tom Jones' Reload album), and Neil's voice totally holds up right besides Tom's - which is quite a feat in of itself. I would recommend the epic "Through a Long & Sleepless Night".
They recently celebrated 30 years in the industry with a great song called The Best Mistakes which I would very much recommend. The group has changed through the years but has always included Neil Hannon as lead singer. There are just so many I could suggest next but really they are all fantastic.
Neil Hannon is amazing such a brilliant songwriter and performer I don't get why so few Americans have heard them, they've had a lot of hits in UK and Europe and despite this are still very underrated here as well
Brilliant
The answers to your questions are all "yes", and "Tonight We Fly" is a great choice.
Yes, massively underrated - brilliant songwriter, lyricist, composer, arranger, musician and of course vocalist. Most of the songs just work best in the context of the album, and it's hard to pick out the songs that work as singles. The variety in style, tempo, arrangements and just general energy makes the albums just such a joy to listen to in full. But it's way too orchestral, and far away from the hip sound of the moment, to be well suited for radio, so it's no surprise you never heard a lot of it.
There is a lot of humor in the lyrics and the performance, but I would rarely call this music outright comedic.
And the man sure knows how to sing. He did a duet with Tom Jones once (it's on Tom Jones' Reload album), and Neil's voice totally holds up right besides Tom's - which is quite a feat in of itself.
I would recommend the epic "Through a Long & Sleepless Night".
They recently celebrated 30 years in the industry with a great song called The Best Mistakes which I would very much recommend. The group has changed through the years but has always included Neil Hannon as lead singer. There are just so many I could suggest next but really they are all fantastic.
"Perfect Love Song" is my favorite.
Neil Hannon is amazing such a brilliant songwriter and performer I don't get why so few Americans have heard them, they've had a lot of hits in UK and Europe and despite this are still very underrated here as well
Now you need to try . . . Gin Soaked Boy.
YES my favorite
Him with a standard group of support. If you dig you can see other names. Please review gin-soaked boy as suggested below. AL