This album from/curated by acclaimed singer-songwriter Nick Kelly, former lead singer with The Fat Lady Sings and a Choice-nominated solo artist, came together over a nine-month project christened, appropriately enough, ‘Gestation’. Kicking off in September 2009, Kelly performed an intimate live show in Whelan’s on the last Wednesday of each month with a variety of musical collaborators, experimenting with alternative approaches to some new songs.
Each show was recorded and selected tunes were uploaded to his website (www.nickkelly.ie) for the public to hear and comment on. Although the original plan was simply to use the live recordings as rough blueprints for a new studio album, Kelly realised that something quite special had happened in Whelan’s, and ultimately decided to release the best moments of those sessions under the moniker Alien Envoy.
The tracks selected variously feature former Beautiful South singer Briana Corrigan, song-writing legend Boo Hewerdine, Ann Scott, The Softly Swelling Strings, Joe Chester, Bill Blackmore’s Brass, and the inimitable Pete Pamf. His collaborators weren’t only musical. The sleeve artwork is drawn from images submitted by fans, and lists the names of over 250 people who sponsored the first pressing by buying it pre-release.
They won’t be disappointed. While it’s a group effort, Kelly is still very much the most prominent player in this particular envoy. From poetically mournful piano-driven opener ‘Donnybrook’ (“The bar in Longs, three deep in ghosts/ Those who’ve gone/ Those who’ve gone to seed”) to hauntingly strummed closer ‘Infrastructure’, his voice dominates. On ‘45’ he reunites TFLS for one last stomper.
At The Music Show, Kelly had some really interesting things to say. A deep, thoughtful, sensitive, and intelligent musical artist, he’ll undoubtedly always be one of the great survivors. So . . . bravo to that! And to this.