| Artist | Brian McFadden |
|---|---|
| Cover | BrianMcFaddenIrishSonAlbum.jpg |
| Released | 29 November 2004 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 42:05 |
| Label | Sony |
| Producer | Guy Chambers · Paul Stacey · Richard Flack · Mark Taylor · Phil Thornalley |
| Next year | 2008 |
Irish Son is the debut solo album by Irish singer Brian McFadden. It was released on 29 November 2004. McFadden signed with Sony Music following his departure from boy band Westlife in 2004.[1] The singer mainly co-wrote the album with English songwriter Guy Chambers, who produced the album along Paul Stacey, Richard Flack, Mark Taylor, and Phil Thornalley.
The album was preceded by the lead single "Real to Me" on 6 September 2004, which peaked at number one in Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Irish Son was highly successful on the charts in Denmark and Ireland. Elsewhere the album charted within the lower regions of the charts in Austria, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Critical reception
David Peschek, writing for The Guardian remarked that Irish Son was "markedly less cynical and clinical than Ronan Keating's solo debut and less messy and pretentious than Robbie's. Still, while it's heartening to see anyone survive the cultural apocalypse that is Westlife svengali Simon Cowell, what we are talking about here isn't an artist, but a former boy-band hoofer struggling towards self-expression."[2] Tony Clayton-Lea from The Irish Times wrote: "Teaming up with erstwhile Robbie Williams co-songwriter Guy Chambers, McFadden is clearly trying for the kind of commercial credibility Williams has enjoyed for some years. The results are patchy, and only some songs work."[3] Yahoo! Music UK's Adam Webb concluded: "We'll have to wait for album number two to know quite where he falls, but there's certainly no "Angels" on Irish Son. Until then, the world belongs to Heat magazine. We'll just have to live in it."[4]
Personnel
Adapted from the Irish Son booklet.[5]
- Mark Taylor – mixing (tracks 5, 10 11)
- Ren Swan – mixing (tracks 5, 10, 11)
- Nicole Nodland – front cover portrait
- Halfnight Productions, Art + Commerce – inside portraits
Charts
| Chart (2004–2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] | 54 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[7] | 6 |
References
- ^ Cameron Adams (27 March 2008) Brian McFadden discovered real life after Westlife Herald Sun. (Herald and Weekly Times). Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ^ Peschek, David (26 November 2004). "review: Brian McFadden, Irish Son". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (26 November 2004). "Pop/Rock: Latest releases reviewed". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ Webb, Adam (30 November 2004). "Brian McFadden - 'Irish Son'". Yahoo! Music UK. Archived from the original on 9 December 2004. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ^ Irish Son (booklet). Modest! Sony Music UK. 2004. 519002 2.
- ^ p. 182.
- ^ ultratop