AS SPIN, NY TIMES WEIGH IN, DECLAN O'ROURKE'S US DEBUT 'MAG PAI ZAI' OUT DIGITALLY THIS WEEK, ON PHYSICAL CD OCTOBER 8

O'ROURKE PLAYS NYC'S CUTTING ROOM TONIGHT

Declan O'Rourke – the songwriter who has had three top albums in Ireland – is about to make his US debut with 'Mag Pai Zai.' He has opened for Bob Dylan, Snow Patrol, and John Prine and shared the stage with Bono. 'Mag Pai Zai' earned him comparisons to Glen Hansard, Sondre Lerche, Ron Sexsmith, and Rufus Wainwright. 'Mag Pai Zai,' out this week in digital download and out October 8 in brick and mortar stores, has brought O'Rourke acclaim from several outlets and a certain influential rocker:

"Compassion, romance, a sense of mortality, and a sense of history run through the songs of Declan O'Rourke… his calling is as a balladeer, proffering reassurance in the face of inevitable sorrow." – NY Times

"Declan O'Rourke is long overdue for a stateside breakthrough." – SPIN

"Warm, enveloping voice." – Wall Street Journal

"He writes the sort of classic songs that people don’t write anymore, songs that sound like they’ve been around forever." – Paul Weller

Hear 'Mag Pai Zai' in its entirety at American Songwriter.

PAUL WELLER ON DECLAN O'ROURKE & "THE GREATEST SONG WRITTEN IN THE LAST 30 YEARS"

Among Declan O'Rourke's famous fans is Jam legend Paul Weller, who told MOJO Magazine last year, "He writes the sort of classic songs that people don’t write anymore, songs that sound like they’ve been around forever [...] Listen to Galileo, which is possibly the greatest song written in the last 30 years."

O'Rourke's new album 'Mag Pai Zai,' already a top ten hit in Ireland, will come out in the US October 8. A live version of "Galileo" is a bonus track on the US release.

"Be Brave and Believe" music video.

Tour dates in NYC, Philadelphia, Northampton, and CT.

US RELEASE SET FOR ARTIST DECLAN O'ROURKE'S IRISH TOP TEN ALBUM 'MAG PAI ZAI' ON RIMECOAT / MISSING PIECE RECORDS

NY TIMES: "HIS CALLING IS AS A BALLADEER"

PAUL WELLER ON O'ROURKE: "HE WRITES THE SORT OF CLASSIC SONGS THAT PEOPLE DON'T WRITE ANYMORE, SONGS THAT SOUND LIKE THEY'VE BEEN AROUND FOREVER."

WSJ PREMIERES 1ST SONG

Declan O'Rourke's 'Mag Pai Zai,' which rocketed to number six on the Albums Top 100 chart in Ireland, will be released in the US on Rimecoat / Missing Piece Records. Recalling the masterful melodic and vocal gifts of Rufus Wainwright, Harry Nilsson, and Van Morrison, the album will be released via digital download September 24 and distributed on CD October 8.

For the New York Times, Jon Pareles wrote, "Compassion, romance, a sense of mortality and a sense of history run through the songs of Declan O’Rourke... The gravity of unaccompanied traditional Irish ballads — the deliberation in their melodies, their calmly sustained phrases, their fatalistic undertone — informs his songs, whether they’re about faithful love or reckoning with elemental forces."

The Wall Street Journal premiered the first track from 'Mag Pai Zai' today. Eric Danton praises O'Rourke's "warm, enveloping voice."

O'Rourke's song "Galileo (Someone Like You)" was recorded by Josh Groban on his album 'Illuminations,' which charted at number four on the Billboard 200 in the US. Growing up between Australia and Dublin, Ireland, O'Rourke has opened for Snow Patrol, Badly Drawn Boy, John Prine, and Weller. He has also performed on BBC2 and BBC4.

-->Interviewed in Hot Press, Brendan Graham, who penned the worldwide smash hit 'You Raise Me Up'said, "To me, Declan is not a songwriter within the ordinary definition of the word. He is a sorcerer of songs, with a Dickensian skill for finding the moment that details some aspect of our humanity."

All Music Guide called 'Mag Pai Zai' "captivating."

US tour dates are in the works, including an NYC show.

'Mag Pai Zai' Track Listing

1.    Time Machine
2.    Slieve Bloom
3.    Be Brave & Believe
4.    Dancing Song
5.    Caterpiller DNA
6.    Lightning Bird Wind River Man
7.    Langley's Requiem
8.    A Little Something
9.    The Hardest Fight
10.    Orphan Wind Song
11.    Galileo (live, bonus track)
12.    Marrying the Sea (live, bonus track)