"The Other Side" by Rob Halligan

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"The Other Side" by Rob Halligan

Review

"The Other Side", the new single by Rob Halligan, will be released on all major download and streaming services on June 22nd but don't worry, you don't have to wait quite that long to appreciate it as the video (by Upbeat Image) has just been premiered tonight. You can see it at https://www.facebook.com/HalliganMusic/videos/2625915284289724/

 

It will also appear on his forthcoming album "Always Heading Home".

Like several other tracks mentioned in these pages in recent days, "The Other Side" is released in aid of a good cause, that is raising funds to support vulnerable children via the Global Care charity.

Created in addition to the songs he already had ready for the album, it was inspired by lockdown, recorded at his home studio and then mastered at the Foundry in Motherwell by Sandy Jones.

 

 

 "I heard someone in a conversation about the lockdown say that they'd see me on the other side. I realised that could have so many meanings but underlying it all is this message of hope and something that, right now, so many people can identify with... James from Upbeat Image, came with me when I visited the refugee camps in Lebanon with Global Care a couple of years ago. He shot an amazing video for the charity and a video for my song, "The Boots I Never Wore". I've visited a number of Global Care's projects around the world and seen the incredible impact they have on the lives of so many vulnerable children.

 

During this crisis, as a small charity they have been hit quite hard and so the money from this single

will go directly to their work."

 

 

Inevitably isolation recordings fall into several categories: the necessarily solo, the technical challenge of separate performances being combined from separate sites & finally utilising the talents of those sharing one's isolation. In this instance the last applies as the song features a vocal from Nikita, Rob's daughter. "Having Nikita sing with me was really special and I think it gives the song a real vulnerability that many of us have felt during these times of uncertainty."

 

In fact, as Rob is hardly known for over arranging nor over producing his material, sonically the track should fit seamlessly into the album, despite being recorded under different circumstances from its eventual companions. Naturally a simple (and in this case very dignified) approach is ideal for such a subject matter & to do otherwise would I think have undermined if not spoilt it. As with so much else of his work, "The Other Side" is imbued with a highly spiritual essence: you can certainly tell why the expression cited above appealed to Rob and he makes good use of exploiting its multiple possible applications. As such it fits extremely well into his body of work though I imagine he'd rather the crisis hadn't happened, even if it does allow him to make what are clearly some really important personal & faith centred points. I should also like to state that I really agree with his statement about Nikita: her ethereal backing vocals seem flown in from "somewhere else" at times and given what I assume is a relative lack of experience they do possess that vulnerable tone: where they sit in the arrangement is far more effective than say a full duet might have been: they play an important complementary role to the lead vocal & take the song truly elsewhere.

 

For more information about Global Care please go to www.globalcare.org

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