Bap Kennedy
"Domestic Blues"
There’s no impression like a first impression and, for the musician, the debut album is the one and only chance to make a first sketch on a clean slate – no previous successes to meet or surpass (or inhibit creativity), no fame or fortune to distract. It is the only chance an artist may ever have at creating a musical statement while flying below the radar, away from the expectations of others.
Bap Kennedy’s first effort, "Domestic Blues" (on Steve Earle’s E-Squared label,) is a resounding success, heralding the arrival of Ireland’s latest soulful singer-songwriter. With beautifully crafted songs, tasteful melodies and introspective heartfelt lyrics, Kennedy takes us on a tour of the moods and emotions that must have been influenced from a life spent in the midst of the long running sectarian violence of Northern Ireland.
Born and raised in Belfast, Kennedy wears his heart on his sleeve – now there’s a good Irishman – and it shows in this solid group of songs. Backed by an all-star ensemble including Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan, Steve Earle, the late Roy Huskey Jr., and Larry Atamanuik (with a vocal appearance by Nanci Griffith on two tracks), Kennedy firmly establishes himself as an impressive songwriting talent.
Leading off is "Long Time A Comin'" a toe-tapping bouncer in which Kennedy introduces us to his (stereo)typically Irish outlook on life with a mixture of melancholy and realism:
“When I first met you
I was ready to give up this life of drinking and bumming,
But all my promises are
A long time a’coming”.
Similarly rollicking tracks are found with “Unforgiven”, “Mostly Water”, “My Money” and an excellent cover of Earle’s “Angel Is The Devil”.
“The Way I Love Her” slows the tempo for an exploration of lost love from the perspective of a man recently returned, perhaps from prison.
“The Backroom” seeks solace in the company of temporary love with lyrics that are easily imagined uttered through the haze of alcohol in a dusty Irish pub:
“So tell me your tale,
How things came to be.
And I'll tell you mine,
What happened to me.”
Kennedy finds his most beautiful voice in the touching ballads “I’ve Fallen In Love” and “The Shankill And The Falls”. Though all of the songs seem personal in nature, perhaps none is more intensely personal than “The Ghosts Of Belfast”, a melancholy ode sung in remembrance of a friend and acknowledging the effect that growing up within “the Troubles” of Northern Ireland has had:
“You’ll be a long time in the grave,
And you can’t live in the past.
Let’s lay down to rest
All the ghosts of Belfast.”
Domestic Blues is a stunning performance in which we are once again reminded of the kinship between Irish folk music and American roots and country music. One could even be forgiven for assuming that Bap Kennedy must be yet another in a long line of talented singer-songwriters from Texas if one did not know otherwise. (I had listened to this album before knowing anything about the man and likewise assumed his Texas heritage firmly intact.) As it is, Kennedy easily makes himself at home in both musical worlds, and in the process has created a work of notable skill and intellect.
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last updated 07/16/05
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