Guest Collector: Paddy Casey

Irish troubadour, rover and singer-songwriter Paddy Casey conjures the Emerald Isle in name and in song, but if you're expecting that his music provides the soundtrack for a night of Irish car-bombs at your local pub, well, you'd be wrong.

On the release of his latest album, Addicted to Company, we caught up with Paddy to talk brass tacks: who are the artists who influenced him to write the music he does? There's a few nods to his countrymen, but Paddy also finds the luck—and soul—of the Irish in some unexpected voices.

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
I reckon I love this album because I heard it being played first by people on the street busking. I had learned to play half the songs on it before I got around to listening to it. It has a magical mystical air around it like some colours that just melt into each other and change before you know where its going. As stupid as that might sound, it's the best way I can explain it. It brings back a lot of memories for me.

The Waterboys - This Is The Sea
I reckon Mike Scott is one of the most soulful White singers around: great lyrics; great songs; very powerful. He's up there with Sam Cooke and Otis Redding.

Prince - Lovesexy
I reckon it's probably his best; no fillers songs. Also, it's cool you can't skip any of the songs on a CD; it plays as one continous track.

Marvin Gaye - What's Goin' On
What can I say? The man is a legend.

Luke Kelly and the Dubliners - Luke's Legacy
Luke Kelly was a great singer. He had honey and gravel in his voice, between himself and the Dubliners he took Irish music to a whole new level.

U2 - The Joshua Tree
Some seriously great lyrics/poetry on this record—not one bad song on the whole album. "Bullet The Blue Sky" is probably my favourite U2 song.

Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
This man writes a mental amount of songs. My 12 year-old kid got me into him a few years ago. [There's] something very special about this guy. I'd love to meet him someday. [It's] probably one of the best records I've heard in a long time...

Parliament - Motor Booty Affair
It’s probably a good album to take acid to... if you ever took acid.

Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love
She is one of the few true geniuses making music today, in my humblist opinion, and this is her best work.

Nina Simone - Feeling Good,The Very Best Of...
I know it’s a compilation, but there is rarely a day goes by when I don't stick on one or two tracks from this CD. She was a brilliant, beautiful, fiery soul.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
03.31.08