Eclectic Gillen ranges far beyond folk

Said the magazine: “The best new talent I’ve heard is Roger Gillen — a folk rock singer from Ireland. His lyrics are exceptional, his voice beautiful. When you hear someone like that you realize how many lesser people there are.”
With the release of his latest album, “Love’s Pure Light,” and an off-Broadway concert next week, his star is now clearly on the ascent.
The new album is a unique blend of Irish melodies and Christmas themes enlivened with the perhaps surprising addition of African and Latin pop rhythms. And although in possession of a talent that can enliven even the most the hard-bitten music journalist, the man behind it could hardly be more self-effacing.
Originally from Sligo, Gillen has been on a musical journey to expand his unique musical style since he arrived here to study music in the 1980s. He subsequently moved to New York City, where he now lives and works, and the city and its multiplicity have been huge influences on his work.
“This album is, on one level, about faith,” Gillen said recently. “It’s a very personal thing and I was slow to make a statement about it in regard to making an album. Part of that has to do with where we grew up and the hypocrisy that’s there. But I wrote a song called ‘For this Child.’ It’s a song about my son — and it’s a song about service and actually doing something rather than just saying it, I suppose. The song had tremendous impact when I performed it for live audiences. That led eventually to thinking about new songs and developing a new show, which has universal elements and themes, although it falls under the theme of Christmas too.
“My hope with the forthcoming concerts is that they’ll become an annual thing where people can come and enjoy the music, get into the spirit of the holiday and just really feel good.”
A more satisfying alternative to the parade of Rockettes or the Rockefeller ice rink?
“Definitely,” he said. “There are stories that are told through the album. I wanted it to be as big as I could make it in terms of genres, themes and production. There’s a Cameroon rhythm section on it, there’s Brazilian accordion, it’s provocative stuff at times — we really blew the budget.”
Although his faith is clearly important to him, Gillen’s attitude is more embracing than censorious.
“In my life, in my relationships, in my spirituality — I believe it’s a very wide thing, very inclusive and it’s not at all excluding,” he said. “That’s also the theme in the music and the lyrics of the new album, too.”
Although “Love’s Pure Light” was planned as holiday record, it transcends the genre. You can hear the journeys he has made and is making in it — from the rhythms of the city to the land of his origin, it’s all included in this richly produced album,” he said.
“My natural ability in terms of music is this tendency to combine melodies with words, which is a very Irish thing, I think. Combining those things with, say, African beats, is just an interesting way to extend those musical conversations.”
Roger Gillen’s holiday concert in support of his new album, “Love’s Pure Light,” will be staged on Monday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. at the Lambs Theatre on West 44 Street in Manhattan.