Album Review: David Kitt, The Big Romance (Kittser’s Version)

The original release of The Big Romance, David Kitt’s second album (after the self-released Small Moments) sold over 60,000 copies in Ireland, but has been hard to get your hands on for some time.

His old record company own the rights to the songs, and weren’t very forthcoming about a vinyl re-release, so Kittser took matters into his own hands, re-recording all 10 tracks from the original album, along with three new songs and fan favourite (and original b-side), ‘Saturdays’. The songs were all put down at Kitt’s home studio in Ballinskelligs, with the invaluable help of original producer and electronic whizz-kid Ken McHugh.

What’s perhaps surprising is that it still sounds as fresh today as it did a quarter of a century ago, particularly the opening double whammy of ‘Song From Hope St (Brooklyn, NY)’ and ‘You Know What I Wanna Know’, two singles that perfectly encapsulate Kitt’s laid-back, almost lazy vocal style, as he effortlessly welds hip-hop beats and rhythms to acoustic instrumentation and melodies so infectious they could start a pandemic.

Elsewhere, highlights include the fragility of ‘Step Outside In The Morning Light’, the seven-minute dreamy love-in of ‘What I Ask’, which sounds even warmer and more welcoming than the original recording, and the fuzzy smile of ‘Whispers Return The Sun; Rest The Moon’. Only ‘Into The Breeze’ departs from the feel of the original recording to recreate the live version of this longtime favourite, with backing vocals from Charlotte Cornfield, Katie Kim and Eamon Brady.

Of the new songs, ‘I Walk With Seán Garvey’ is a tribute to the traditional Kerry musician, who passed away in 2022; ‘Robert Wyatt (Along The Way)’ is an acoustic ditty taking in the Willie Clancy festival, cúpla focail Gaeilge and the legendary and now retired singer; while ‘All Been Gold’ is all squelchy electronics and vocoder vocals.

A very welcome re-release.

8.5/10