As he glides through the room, contemporary Irish singer Michael English oozes old-world charm.Soft-spoken with impeccable manners and intoxicating warmth and humour, the eminently likeable English combines pop idol looks with an engaging down-home personality.
As a performer, the clean-cut, 30-year-old’s smooth, laid-back vocal style conjures up images of golden oldie crooners like Andy Williams, Perry Como and Matt Monro. It comes as little surpise, then, when the popular singer and piano player name checks American ‘60s superstar Williams and the late British legend Monroe among his greatest musical influences.
On his new album, Portrait Of My Love, Michael realises a long-time dream to record the title track, which is a Matt Monro classic. “I love Matt Monro’s voice and I always wanted to record Portrait Of My Love, but it just didn’t fit in on previous albums,” he reveals. “I play the piano as well and there are lovely chords in this song.”
Like most Irish people, this talented singer has got an eclectic tase in music. Michael grew up in the small Co Kildare town of Castledermot to the soundtrack of Irish traditional music as his father, Pat, played the button accordion in a trad band. Recognising his only son’s musical talent, Pat encouraged Michael to learn the piano and enrolled him for formal training at Carlow’s Hennessy School of Music and, later, at The Royal Irish Academy of Music.
At the age of 11, the ‘boy wonder’ English composed his own piece of classical music, which he called Perestroika, a Russian term he’d heard in the news at the time. “My school teacher told me it meant peace,” he laughs today.
Michael then wrote a personal letter to Irish TV chat show king Gay Byrne, explaining that he had composed “a classical Strauss thing” and could he play it on his Late Late Show. His childhood fantasy became a reality when he was invited to perform on the massively popular Late Late’s Toy Show that year, making him a hero in his home town.
In his early teens, a friend in a local music shop introduced Michael to the recordings of Andy Williams and Matt Monroe. “He gave me their albums and told me it was the music I should be listening to,” Michael recalls. “I fell in love with them immediately.”
After a year teaching music, Michael began his performing life playing in dance bands, singing country songs, recording well received albums and doing concert shows on cruise ships in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
Then his career took a new turn when out of the blue Louis Walsh phoned Michael’s home one day while the singer was away on a cruise. “Louis had pop acts, but he was looking for an easy-listening, MOR singer,” he says. “I didn’t say yes immediately because I had other commitments, but I couldn’t be more happy that it has worked out. Louis has given me great belief in myself.”
Michael’s first hit album under the direction of Louis was a diverse collection of easy listening country, Irish ballads and pop called All My Life, which includes duets with Daniel O’Donnell and Eurovision winner Linda Martin.
On his new album, Portrait Of My Love, Michael gets the opportunity to fulfill more musical dreams, with another variety of classic songs chosen by both himself and Walsh.
Michael and Louis are both fans of the American country singer Collin Raye and on this latest album English puts his own stamp on Raye’s beautifully crafted song of burning love, If I Were You.
Other tracks that tug at the heartstrings are the well-chosen Nana Mouskouri song Four And Twenty Hours, which is balanced by the blues of soul legend Etta James’s cover, If I Had Any Pride Left At All. Another of Michael’s personal choices is British singer-songwriter Roger Whittaker’s biggest hit, The Last Farewell.
“Like Portrait Of My Love, it’s a song I always wanted to record and Roger Whittaker invited me down to his Irish home in the country to have a chat about how I would interpret it. It was a great experience working with him as he’s such a lovely man,” Michael reveals.
Popular numbers When You Were Sweet Sixteen and Rose Garden lead the album into another of Michael’s all-time Irish favourites, Walking The Streets In The Rain. Written by Kildare woman Teresa O’Donnell it was Ireland’s first entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Sung by Butch Moore it finished in 6th place in 1965.
“I knew Teresa, who has now passed away,” Michael explains. “I used to go to visit her because I was into songwriting and I thought she was a great writer. I was always going to record this song, but it didn’t fit in with albums I did in the past.”
Other stand out tracks include Before I Met You, a cover of another of Michael’s favourite country artists, Charley Pride; Scarlet Ribbons and the Bob Dylan song, Make You Feel My Love. Michael also acknowledges the personal influence of French pianist Richard Clayderman with the gentle piano instrumental, Ballad pour Adeline. “Richard Clayderman had a huge influence on me when I was learning the piano and this was his big hit,” Michael says. “I play the piano in my live shows and I wanted a track on the album to reflect that.”
Michael adds: “I am totally happy with the direction Louis has taken me on this album because he understands the type of music I like and what songs suit me.
“Before signing up with Louis my main worry was that he would try to turn me into a pop singer and that he wouldn’t understand where my passion lay: but he totally does.”
English also pays tribute to his producer Nigel Wright, who has worked with everyone from Take That to Jose Carreras. “Nigel does all the work for Simon Cowell on acts from the X Factor to Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol. It was a masterclass for me working with Nigel and he has become a really good friend,” Michael reveals.
“I also got the chance to work with Yvie Burnett, who is the main vocal coach on the X Factor. Yvie taught me how to interpret a song and sing it from the heart. It has been a huge learning experience that has taken me to another level.”
Added: 25//2009 | 
