Ultan Conlon (born 1980) is an Irish singer-songwriter. He is a native of

Loughrea Loughrea ( ; ), is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies to the north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains and Lough Rea, the lake from which it takes its name. The town's cathedral, St Brendan's, dominates the urban sk ...

. Conlon has performed live with

John Martyn Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), known professionally as John Martyn, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a 40-year career, he released 23 studio albums and received frequent critical acclaim. ...

,Galway Independent
/ref> Mary Coughlan,

Lisa Hannigan Lisa Margaret Hannigan (born 12 February 1981) is an Irish musician, singer, composer, and voice actress. She began her musical career as a member of Damien Rice's band. Since beginning her solo career in 2007 she has released three albums: '' S ...

Mark Geary Mark Geary is an Irish singer-songwriter born in Dublin, Ireland. In 1992 he emigrated to New York City. His brother is Karl Geary. Career When Geary arrived in New York he had the chance to jump right in at the famous Sin-é bar. However, he ...

, Roesy, Sabrina Dinan,

David Kitt David Kitt (born 1975) is an Irish musician. He has released eight studio albums to date: ''Small Moments'', ''The Big Romance'', ''Square 1'', ''The Black and Red Notebook'', ''Not Fade Away (David Kitt album), Not Fade Away'', ''The Nightsaver ...

, and the Four of Us. Conlon plays and teaches

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

Career

He and fellow Galwegian, John Conneely, formed the group UltanJohn in 2003. His 2005 single, "Really Gone", featured

. His song, "Ring Out The Old" featured in the British film, ''The Beholder''. Conlon shared the stage with

Eddi Reader Sadenia "Eddi" Reader Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 29 August 1959) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known for her work as the lead vocalist of the Folk music, folk and soft rock band Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo caree ...

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

and

Shelby Lynne Shelby Lynne (born Shelby Lynn Moorer, October 22, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter and the older sister of singer-songwriter Allison Moorer. The success of her pop rock album '' I Am Shelby Lynne'' (1999) led to her winning the Grammy A ...

. His first studio album, "Bless Your Heart", was released in October 2009. In 2012, Conlon was a composer for the soundtrack for the film ''Songs For Amy''. His sophomore record ''Songs of Love So Cruel'' dropped in 2013. A review posted on Blogcritics described Conlon's 2018 album, ''Last Days of the Night Owl'', as "an elegantly striking album, full of nuanced floating colors and velvety energy, along with the appealing voice of Ultan Conlon". Conlon's fourth record ''There's a Waltz'' (2020) was produced by Grammy Award-winner

Sean Watkins Sean Charles Watkins (born February 18, 1977) is an American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a member of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek, the duo Fiction Family and the supergroup Works Progress Administration. He is the brot ...

(

Nickel Creek Nickel Creek (formerly known as the Nickel Creek Band) is an American bluegrass music, bluegrass band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), and siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar). Formed in 1989 in Southern California, the ...

). Conlon met Watkins in LA in 2016, performing with him at Largo, a nightclub where Sean and Sara Watkins hosted the Watkins Family Hour. Watkins brought several musicians on board to accompany Conlon, including

Don Heffington Don Heffington (December 20, 1950March 24, 2021) was an American drummer, percussionist, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the Los Angeles alternative country band Lone Justice, which he performed with from 1982 to 1985. Heffington was ...

(drums);

Sebastian Steinberg Sebastian Steinberg (born February 20, 1959) is an American double bass, bass player, best known for his work in the band Soul Coughing. Biography Steinberg played with Soul Coughing throughout the band's entire history, from 1992 to 2000. In 200 ...

(bass, double bass);

Gabe Witcher Gabriel Witcher (born June 11, 1978) is an American multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and arranger, best known as a fiddle player and singer. He is a founding member of the string ensemble Punch Brothers. Witcher and his fellow Punch Br ...

(fiddle); Rich Hinman (pedal steel);

Sara Watkins Sara Ullrika Watkins (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of Nickel Creek, the progressive bluegrass group she formed with her brother Sean and mandolinist Chris Thile. In addi ...

(backing vocals); and Tyler Chester (B3, piano).

Reception

"Sparks of the Night" was the first single and the official video was premiered by Americana UK where they said that Conlon's "clear, melodic vocal brings

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

to mind". The album received airplay in Ireland on

RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 1 () is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. The total budget for the station in 2010 w ...

and the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in the UK. Hotpress Magazine described ''There's a Waltz'' as "a winning collection...songs of substance told with intelligence and wry observation". On the week of 17 April 2020, RTÉ Radio 1 made Conlon's ''There's a Waltz'' their album of the week.

References

External links

* http://www.ultanconlon.com Musicians from County Galway People from Loughrea Living people Irish male singer-songwriters Irish singer-songwriters 1980 births 21st-century Irish singers {{singer-songwriter-stub