Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post / Lifestyle

Music Review: SJD, St John Divine (+video)

Craig Cooper
NZME. regionals·
11 Jun, 2015 05:00 PMQuick Read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Sean James Donnelly aka SJD

Sean James Donnelly aka SJD

Sean James Donnelly (SJD) lets space invade his seventh album, and the effect is very pleasant indeed. There are parallels with Beck's 2014 Morning Phase. Both artists inhabit a similar vocal space and have a pastoral warmth to their work.

But SJD paints from a slightly more eclectic palette. Album closer Was I Always Here is a gorgeous wedding song spiked with a fuzzed-up guitar solo, and the single, I Wanna Be Foolish borrows the riff from Pavement's Summer Babe (via the Fall) for a stroll down to the tavern in SJD's dressing gown. On Change The Channel SJD channels Martin Phillips, and the falsetto on Unplugged leaves everyone happy. This is quality stuff from one of our country's most consistent songwriters.

Listen to Was I Always Here below.

Discover more

Music Review: Mumford & Sons, Wilder Mind

14 May 05:00 PM

Music Review: Bombino, Nomad

21 May 05:00 PM

Music Review: Twenty One Pilots, Blurryface

28 May 05:00 PM

Music Review: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Colour

04 Jun 05:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Rotorua Daily Post

The Rookie stars’ unexpected Rotorua visit leaves staff 'giddy'

23 Apr 10:12 PM
Premium
Rotorua Daily Post

Rural retreats chase booming wellness tourism dollar in Bay

21 Mar 10:02 PM
ReviewsMegan Wilson

Review: Money, murder and mayhem – what would you do with £735,000?

19 Mar 03:04 AM

Sponsored

Endangered bird gets another chance

21 Apr 02:30 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

The Rookie stars’ unexpected Rotorua visit leaves staff 'giddy'
Rotorua Daily Post

The Rookie stars’ unexpected Rotorua visit leaves staff 'giddy'

Employee kept her cool - then ran to grab her co-worker.

23 Apr 10:12 PM
Premium
Premium
Rural retreats chase booming wellness tourism dollar in Bay
Rotorua Daily Post

Rural retreats chase booming wellness tourism dollar in Bay

21 Mar 10:02 PM
Review: Money, murder and mayhem – what would you do with £735,000?
Megan Wilson
ReviewsMegan Wilson

Review: Money, murder and mayhem – what would you do with £735,000?

19 Mar 03:04 AM


Endangered bird gets another chance
Sponsored

Endangered bird gets another chance

21 Apr 02:30 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • NZME Digital Performance Marketing
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP