Paddy's words from the "song That changed Your Life column in the Belfast Telegraph's Twenty-Four Seven section:

 

You know, picking out one single song that has “changed your life” is a tough one. Not because certain songs have never had such an impact but rather because there are so many that have! When I think about it, my mind always springs back to the “grunge” days and how much Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and the Pumpkins had an impact on me but in truth the song that maybe stands out as being the most significant catalyst for change in my life would be Jeff Buckley's “So Real”.

“So Real” isn't my favourite JB tune, I'd say that'd be “Lover, You Should've Come Over”. It was however, the first song I heard by JB. I was immediately taken by his amazing voice - the tone, expression and range. I'd never heard anything like it and quickly came to love the rest of his music. More significantly though, this led to discovering the even better voice of his late father, Tim Buckley, a voice that is incomparably stunning, dexterous and sublime – as exhibited on tracks like “Strange Feeling” and “Chase The Blues Away”.

Basically before hearing these unearthly voices, I was really a guitarist who was starting to sing a bit but upon hearing what could be done with the voice and knowing that my voice fell into a similar camp (in a more limited way!) I started to become fascinated with how beautiful and expressive the voice could be. Now I sort of consider myself a singer more than a guitarist!