Paul Byrom Is a Prince of a Guy in If I Could Cry

On February 9, Celtic Thunder’s It’s Entertainment! will land in stores. I’m gearing up for it by listening to the songs I already have from these talented musicians, both as a group and as individuals. On the solo front, I’ve been paying quite a few visits to Ryan Kelly’s MySpace page, particularly to listen to his cover of Julie Miller’s Broken Things and his original The Village That They Call the Moy, both of which have had a secure spot in my list of favorite songs since I first heard them last summer. But Ryan, like groupmates George Donaldson, Damian McGinty and Keith Harkin, has no official recordings for sale. The only member of Celtic Thunder who does is Paul Byrom, who’s got quite an impressive headstart in the form of two albums - Velvet and I’ll Be Home for Christmas - and an MP3 track released late in 2009.

If I Could Cry is one of several songs recorded by various singers to help spread awareness of the new musical Sleeping Beauty, written by Trisha Ward. A fresh take on the beloved story, it involves Rosie, a cowed young librarian who escapes into the pages of the classic fairy tale and finds real life and fantasy entwining in unforeseeable ways. Because information on the play thus far is limited (available at www.sleepingbeautythemusical.com), we have to guess a bit at context, but it seems safe to say that Paul Byrom is portraying Rosie’s love interest, the prince whose kiss will charm her into wakefulness. And my, is he a sensitive soul!

While this recording and its accompanying music video are not directly related to Celtic Thunder, the poetic persona Paul adopts in the group remains. Here, he comes across as a man hopelessly smitten, longing to earn the regard of the woman he has come to love. The song starts off fairly quiet, with Paul softly singing of his desire to take on his ladylove’s pain. There’s a definite sense of vulnerability in the beginning, which is probably my favorite part, though it’s always a bit of a thrill to hear him finally reach those glory notes at the song’s most triumphant point.

Backed by heavy orchestration, Paul’s operatic background is evident, and there are several opportunities for him to really show of the power his voice is capable of. At the same time, he’s very emotive, and as a particular fan of musicals and songs that reveal character, I commend him for putting so much personality into his performance, allowing us to fall in love with this princely fellow all at once even though this song presumably comes toward the end of the play.

In addition to listening to the song, I recommend watching the video, which is readily available on YouTube. Directed by John Stephenson, it’s the first honest-to-goodness music video I’ve seen from anyone in Celtic Thunder; the group videos, thus far, are beautifully filmed but simply concert performances. The closest thing to a real music video is Christmas 1915, which is separate from the concert DVDs and features thematically appropriate props and costumes, along with a gentle snowfall.

All the same, this feels much more like a music video in the MTV sense of the word, with frequently intercutting scenes and a definite storyline that we’re being shown. I haven’t been able to find out the name of the actress who portrays Sleeping Beauty in the video, but she’s as much as part of it as Paul is. We alternate between scenes of her upstairs in her bed, sometimes with him nearby, and one or both of them out in the stylized gardens in the courtyard. Paul sometimes wears a contemporary-looking black suit, while at other times he dresses in a manner befitting a fairy tale pauper and, still others, a prince. She, too, has different costumes. The video also alternates between the relative darkness of her room with the shadows representative of her apparently troubled state of mind and the exuberantly sunny outdoors, which matches the enormous smiles Paul flashes toward the end.

I’ll be curious to see where this musical goes and whether there might be a place for Paul in the cast in the future. From this one song, along with what I’ve already seen and heard from him in his recordings on his own and with Celtic Thunder, I have no doubt he would make a charming prince indeed.