Carosel

New Album KALEIDOSCOPE out Now
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Carosel released their debut album Kaleidoscope in February 09 on Reekus. The opening track, ‘Easy as it Flows’ has already made the soundtrack of hit Canadian television series ‘The Best Years’.

Carosel's first gig in 2007 was certainly impromptu, with guitarist Pete McGrane coaxing Michelle Phelan onstage at his gig for a rendition of Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together'. The enthusiastic reaction of the audience encouraged them to continue working together and since then they have notched up some memorable gigs and TV appearances, including the Late Late Show, the Guinness Storehouse, and the main stage at the Cork Jazz Festival . They were invited to perform at the Jazz Festival again in 2008, and also played at Electric Picnic that year.

Michelle and Pete began writing songs for the album at the end of 2007 while on retreat in the south of France. When the first demo tracks from the album filtered out from the studio, interest in the band grew rapidly with comparisons being made to Feist and Regina Spektor.

The News of the World has described the album as ‘a joy’.The sunny uplifting music on Kaleidoscope is just what is needed this time of the year - the extremely positive early comments on the music have name-checked Burt Bacharach, Nouvelle Vague and Jack Johnson while Michelle's "warm, but crystal clear vocals'" have been likened to Feist, Dionne Warwick and Karen Carpenter. Carosel’s music is generally influenced by Michelle’s love of 60’smusic and Pete’s background in flamenco guitar. The album is available from all good shops and leading digital sites.

Early reviews have described Carosel's debut album Kaleidoscope as :
THE SUNDAY BUSINESS POST ****
"Michelle Phelan and Pete McGrane are a rare combination in the current Irish music scene. Not only do they eschew affected indie-posturing and sundry rock-star clichés, but their retro-eclectic approach to pop purity has created its own unique sense of cool"

THE SUNDAY TIMES "Kaleidoscope, their forthcoming debut album, is a gently enchanting affair that encompasses pop, jazz, blue-eyed soul, bossa nova and even flourishes of flamenco"

NEWS OF THE WORLD "Carosel frontwoman Michelle Phelan's crystal clear, atmospheric voice contains enough warmth to melt any cynicism"

THE MIRROR "They have been compared to Feist and Regina Spektor but we think they have an individuality that's all their own"

THE TICKET - THE IRISH TIMES "Perky, soulful, sunny jazz-pop"

THE STAR "Phelan’s striking vocals add a sunny disposition to Mc Grane’s cheerful array of melodious songs, so the album has a feel-good factor of 10"

Radio One 'Album of the Week'

2FM - Larry Gogan Show 'Album of the Week'