MICHAEL TIERNAN: For Others

Singer-songwriter Michael Tiernan has been active on the local music scene for more than two decades now, issuing seven albums and playing an untold number of shows. Possessed of a nice set of pipes, a warm stage presence, and an unending source of energy, the only thing he’s lacked from making the leap to the big time is a killer hit.

With the release of his eighth album, For Others, he may have found that breakthrough song with “Beacon of Hope.”

Melding two different motifs into alternating verses with a chorus that has the best hook he’s yet written, “Beacon of Hope” is the kind of song that is likely to get stuck in lots and lots of heads. The opening verse begins with a basic drum beat, set off against hand claps joined by acoustic guitar and a chorus before Tiernan joins in on lead vocals. The song slowly builds in energy verse to verse, perfectly paced up to the bridge that Tiernan raps to perfect effect.

The title of the album refers to the writing process on this project: The songs are all written from stories inspired by others’ stories.

While he doesn’t list the specific source for most of the tracks on the press release, he does share that “The Perfect Path” shares the story of Azim Khamisa, whose son, Tariq, was murdered in San Diego in 1995. In the decades since, Khamisa has founded the Tariq Khamisa Foundation to work for forgiveness and accountability as a counterweight to the grip inner-city gangs have on too many youth.

It’s a heartbreaking story, but Tiernan’s sensitive telling is set against a lush arrangement that softens the pain and redirects the focus to the redemptive healing the family seeks.

The other songs, naturally, lack that level of emotional punch, but it’s a nice set of nine tracks (a short reprise of “Beacon of Hope” closes out the set) marked by thick-pile arrangements, Tiernan’s straight-forward vocals, and evocative lyrics.

Michael Tiernan’s CD Release happens on November 9 at the Bornemann Theatre in San Marcos. Check the calendar for details.