Irish band The Script finds influence in R&B and soul

By MESFIN FEKADU

NEW YORK — The Script are spending the year opening up for superstars such as Paul McCartney and U2, but they say it was R&B performers such as Babyface and Boyz II Men who influenced them when they were growing up in Ireland.

“I was the whitest boy in Ireland listening to Babyface, Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men,” vocalist and frontman Danny O’Donoghue said in an interview.

The Script is originally from Dublin, but O’Donoghue and guitarist Mark Sheehan spent time in America crafting their music before forming the band (drummer Glen Power rounds out the trio).

“I just fell in love with the Missy Elliotts of the world, the Timbalands of the world, Teddy Riley, [producer] Dallas Austin, even the whole TLC movement that happened. We spent some time in Philly where we kind of merged ourselves in the neo-soul kick as well,” Sheehan said.

They know they’re not an R&B act, but urban music is what drew them to America to jump-start their careers.

“It was that love for soul, R&B that was just popping at the time. We wanted to come over to submerge ourselves in that industry,” Sheehan said.

Outside of R&B, the band says they were influenced by rockers like The Police and Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as U2 and McCartney.

“You wouldn’t listen to The Script record and go, ‘They’re R&B.’ But you’d listen and go, ‘There’s a hint of R&B, there’s a little bit of funk, there’s a bit of rock,’” O’Donoghue said.

Their self-titled debut CD is a contemporary rock album with touches of pop and soul.

The first single, “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,” reached No. 1 in five countries: The CD has reached multiplatinum status in both the United Kingdom and Ireland.

But despite that success, the band has yet to duplicate it in the United States.

The CD, released in March 2009 here (it was released in August 2008 in the United Kingdom and Ireland), has only peaked at No. 91 on the Billboard charts; the single has reached No. 88.

“There’s such a different style to European music and American music. It’s kind of hard to pinpoint what that is,” Sheehan said.

“At home there’s a huge focus on lyric and melody, over here there’s a huge focus on groove and beat so there is a huge difference but we’re trying to marry those two,” he said.

The band, which has also opened for Grammy-winning singer Adele, says performing before U2 and McCartney is “surreal.”

“Those moments in your life are ones you’ll remember for the rest of your lives and you’ll tell your grandkids,” O’Donoghue said.