They tease, ponder, reminisce, philosophize and invent parables, and she sings them in a plush, changeable mezzo-soprano that usually holds a kindly twinkle".
Her ensemble, including strings, trumpet and sometimes a recorder, often sounds like a Baroque consort, spinning contrapuntal arpeggios; it also hints at folk-pop, Minimalism and the metrical gamesmanship of progressive rock.
"One More Tune" used syncopated handclaps reminiscent of Steve Reich and a trumpet line hinting at a village brass band, while a new song, "If I Lose You Tonight," which she sang accompanied only by a few notes from a mandolin, had the melodic purity of a traditional Irish ballad.
The Huffington Post commented, "Feeney presents an entrancing and startling evening of poetic imagery, well crafted stories, delicate emotions, unexpected cadences, sudden silences, coy humor and tightly-wound tunes with hit-caliber hooks, sometimes delivered with cool detachment, at other times with a riveting directness ...
It's high-wire performance art in a well-crafted show–blocked, lighted and rehearsed like a theater piece–that flows and eddies on shifts in tempo, mood, dynamics and instrumentation".
In relation to other performers it continued, "Vocally, she's been compared to Sinéad O'Connor and Björk (a fellow traveler in extreme fashion) and to musicians ranging from Laurie Anderson to Elvis Costello, from David Bowie to Tori Amos.
I also heard echoes of French film soundtracks, Pachelbel's Canon, Nino Rota (known for his Fellini and The Godfather scores) Philip Glass and a long forgotten carousel ride."
However, according to The Irish Times[7] of 16 September 2005, "the most impressive sound is Julie's sustained vocal note on Aching, which clocks in at a lung-bursting 28 seconds ..." and also declared, "... Julie Feeney represents a new eclecticism ... Lyrically sage, musically taut, 13 songs is a wonderful, wistful collection ..." The Irish Independent[8] called it "... a rare gem ... her excellent debut album ...".
The New York Times[9] called it "a charming, urbane and dreamy record" while The Observer said "this album marks the blossoming of a major talent".
The Evening Standard[10] said it was "2007's first delight ... a beguiling mix of the baroque ... and the hypnotic avant-garde ..." and The Guardian[1] said "... the world will listen ...".
The RTÉ Guide stated that '13 songs' is "... surely one of the greatest debut records ever made in this country ... sophisticated stuff"[11] and The Tuam Herald described it as "... adult contemporary ... highly sophisticated, European music ... Julie's clear, high vocals paint abstract pictures of love, life and friendship from a twenty-something perspective ..." The Dubliner said "... this album is startling ... a fascinating record", and Q said "... she certainly won't be confused for anyone else ..." Hot Press stated, "... With this debut album Julie Feeney announces herself as the most intriguing female voice ... to come out of Ireland since Sinead O'Connor ... for sheer originality, courage and raw talent, Feeney deserves to soar above and beyond even the merely excellent".
With little rivalry for purity, it ranges from infant-like wonder ("Judas") to quite sexy and sultry (Under My Skin) ... Julie sings "I'm aching for you", just three times on the single, but each one weighs in at 20 to 28 seconds long, a phenomenal achievement for any voice ...".
[13] Feeney's second self-produced album, pages was released in Ireland through Mittens in June 2009, and was widely highly critically acclaimed.
[15] The Sunday Tribune, METRO and the RTÉ Guide also gave it CD of the Week while Hot Press proclaimed that "... pages ... is a wee masterpiece ...".
The artwork for the digi-pack cover with booklet included photographs of Feeney wearing a hand-stitched dress sculpted from the pages of the composer's orchestral score by the artist Sharon Costello Desmond.
Feeney has elements of trad, or at least thoughtful traditionalism, in her sound and lyrics: opener Dear John offers a moving take of her grandparents' simple courtship.
[28] She performed a solo voice and piano interpretation of the Irish lullaby "Seoithín, Seo Hó" on a special 2006 Christmas Day broadcast show JK Ensemble on RTÉ lyric fm.
In 2011, she co-presented a 26-week radio series High Fidelity: a century of song with Jack L and Julie Feeney on RTÉ Lyric FM.
[33] Feeney received an IMTV Award for her fourth music video for her song, "Impossibly Beautiful",[34] which is the second track on pages.
The video for "Love is a Tricky Thing"[35] received an IMTV nomination for Best Irish Female [clarification needed] and it was also directed by Vittoria Colonna.
She worked full-time with the National Chamber Choir of Ireland (specialising in contemporary and Early music), and she performed extensively with Anúna.
Cosan Dearg, a contemporary dance piece resulted from collaboration between Feeney, choreographer Fearghus Ó Conchúir, and theatre director Jason Byrne.
She contributed her own piano arrangements of songs to the television documentary And The Red Poppies Dance, commissioned by RTÉ broadcast on its commemorative season 1918: Ireland and the Great War in November 2008.
A qualified primary teacher she has designed and facilitated workshops all over Ireland, in the US and in Brazil and has published 3 music education CD ROMs.