Glen Hansard's journeyman career has so many fantastic stories, from his shy film debut in The Commitments to the surprise success of his indie hit film Once. In between he has lifted audiences around the world with his spiritual, driven performances, as the leader of lauded Irish heroes The Frames, and half of the duo The Swell Season. Now Glen Hansard is finally where he wants to be, with no intervening structure between him and his audience. For Rhythm and Repose, Hansard has stripped away the emotional layers to reach a core, a core that shines through in songs like Love Don t Leave Me Waiting with its easy, Muscle Shoals vibe. There is also a new power of feeling on songs like Philander, with Hansard capturing a vocal intensity live in the studio we have not heard from him before. And this is Glen Hansard s time. Building on the success of Once, now a Broadway musical receiving rave reviews and talk of Tony awards, Glen is part of this season's hottest soundtrack, The Hunger Games, which features Glen performing under his own name, and as a writer for Maroon Five s track Come Away From the Water. Hansard is poised to join his heroes Van Morrison and Bob Dylan as a musical icon, and this is the album on which he finally puts his name.