Hozier: Hozier

Hozier's Debut Album: Artistic Triumph, Vinyl Disappointment

Hozier's self-titled debut album marked the arrival of a significant musical talent when it was released to eager audiences primed by the pre-released singles "Take Me to Church" and "From Eden." The Irish singer-songwriter's first full-length offering quickly climbed to impressive heights, reaching number 2 on the Billboard 200, while claiming the top position on both the Rock Albums and Americana/Folk charts.

Genre-Defying Artistry
Critics and industry professionals have struggled to neatly categorize Hozier's distinctive style. His music draws from a rich palette of influences including blues, soul, R&B, gospel, and indie rock, seamlessly blending these elements into a compelling Americana-rock fusion. This artistic approach earned him widespread critical acclaim for both his songwriting prowess and vocal performance, culminating in a prestigious Song of the Year nomination for "Take Me To Church" at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Musical Excellence
There's no questioning the album's artistic merit. The songwriting demonstrates remarkable depth and maturity for a debut release, while the musical arrangements showcase both sophistication and emotional authenticity. Hozier's ability to navigate different stylistic territories while maintaining a cohesive sound speaks to his exceptional talent as both composer and performer.

Vinyl Pressing: A Significant Letdown
Unfortunately, the vinyl presentation fails to do justice to the exceptional musical content. Both the original 2014 pressing and the 2019 reissue suffer from numerous technical deficiencies that significantly compromise the listening experience.

The surface noise is distractingly prominent throughout both pressings, while the overall detail retrieval falls well short of what the music deserves. Perhaps most disappointing is the persistent distortion that plagues the recordings, with vocal sibilance occurring regularly enough to become genuinely frustrating for discerning listeners.

While the 2019 reissue represents a slight improvement over the original pressing, the enhancement is marginal at best—certainly not enough to elevate it to the level of a quality vinyl pressing.

The Verdict
For devoted fans of Hozier who collect vinyl as a matter of principle, these pressings might be worth acquiring despite their flaws. However, audiophiles with high-end systems will likely find the technical shortcomings too significant to ignore.

Listeners seeking to experience this remarkable album in the best possible quality would be better served exploring high-resolution digital options or waiting for a proper audiophile vinyl reissue that might someday do justice to Hozier's impressive musical achievement.

This album represents one of those unfortunate cases where exceptional artistic content is poorly served by substandard physical presentation—a reminder that even in the vinyl renaissance, pressing quality remains inconsistent at best.  💵

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