The Big Romance
(31/100 Greatest Irish Albums)

The big softie, more like. Arguably, David Kitt does love better than anyone else in Irish music right now. On The Big Romance, his astonishingly successful major label debut, he sang about friendship, hope and all the nice things in life. Hey, it’s a dirty job – but somebody’s gotta do it!
Like Small Moments, the cherishable mini-album that preceded it, The Big R is a gentle and lyrical piece of work. Straightforward heartbreaking love songs (‘What I Ask’) intermingle comfortably with pastoral meditations like ‘Strange Light in the Evening’, his throwaway style of singing belying the craft that goes into his melodies. ‘Song from Hope St (Brooklyn NY)’ is a highlight – one of Kittser’s finest moments... Some people may be surprised that so quiet, gentle and unabashedly optimistic a set of songs could have struck such a chord: Thankfully, it seems there’s still room for the odd ode to joy.