Joe Chester - A Murder Of Crows Joe Chester

Its the perfect pop record. Negative feelings, like love lost and relationship break-ups are twisted and shaped into something altogether more encouraging. Theres no room for mellow tracks of acoustic guitars and weepy vocals. Chester is much more constructive and resourceful in taking his beautifully simple songs and using his extensive production knowledge to carefully construct around them. You will be lucky to hear anything more affecting all year . A Murder of Crows is an absolute joy. Every home should have one. - Hot Press Magazine
A modern alternative pop gem, the album boasts intelligent song writing, sparkling melodies and a burning if somewhat humble confidence in its own abilities. - Jim Carroll, The Irish Times
My tip for the top remains, as it has been, Joe Chester. His album is, without doubt, a joy to behold. Its perfect pop, one of the best albums I ever had sent into the show. A treasure! - Tom Dunne
With his debut solo album, A Murder of Crows, Joe Chester shows something of a divine sense of melody and a staunchly religious approach to song writing. Chester shows the kind of song writing smarts that bode well for his future royalty cheques; songs such as A Drop of Rain, Pain, Relieve, How You Wish, You Feel and I Always Think Youre Leaving Me have sumptuous yet simple arrangements and leave a trail of resignation and regret in their wake. Even a cover, Fleetwood Macs Bleed to Love Her is fully Chester-ised in a sublime wash of pop nous and rock charm. A record so good its downright criminal. - Tony Clayton-Lea, The Irish Times
Chester's debut solo album is a perfect pop record. The songs are at once effortless, memorable, hook-laden and a masterclass in subtle dynamics. - The Sunday Times - 101 Albums To Love - October 2017
Joe has gone on to release other solo albums along with performing as part of A Lazarus Soul, The Hedge Schools and , on occasion, The Waterboys. He is what you could describe as an all-rounder. His talent was never underestimated before he debuted as a solo artist: A Murder of Crows fully illustrated what a complete artist he is. - From Buried Treasure Vol. 2 by Dan Hegarty
'Like a seaside town in winter', Chester sings on the first (and title) track, 'or that moment when the summer sun gets covered by a cloud'. This pretty much sets the tone: regret and resignation leavened by simplistic, often sumptuous melodies delivered not with egocentric frills but with a modesty that never tips over into lack of confidence. Rarely for an album of such self-effacement, the quality just doesn't dip: 'Charlie for a Girl' is pure heartache wrapped in a melody that refuses to budge, 'A Safe Place to Hide' is a noble duet with Gemma Hayes, the elegiac, piano-led 'A Drop of Rain' is imbued with a velvety texture that leaves the listener almost lost for words, and 'I Always Think You're Leaving Me' gets away with such a morose title (snap out of it man, for God's sake!) by being one hum-dinger of a tune. Chester even covers a Fleetwood Mac/Lindsey Buckingham track ('Bleed to Love Her'); like every other song on this vivid, delicate, perfect-pop record, it touches on the elusiveness of love, but Chester nails it (and the rest) with all the certainty and precision of a shipwright. - From 101 Irish Records (You Must Hear Before You Die) by Tony Clayton-Lea