- Music
- 30 Jun 23
The High Kings debut at No.2 on the Official Irish Albums Chart with The Road Not Taken
Dermot Kennedy scores the No.1 spot with Sonder, following his Marlay Park shows.
Following the release of their latest album, The Road Not Taken, last week, The High Kings have debuted at No.2 on the Official Irish Albums Chart.
The album was co-written and produced with some of the leading names in Irish music, including The Script, Kodaline, Picture This, Ryan Sheridan, JC Stewart, Wild Youth and more.
The track 'The Streets Of Kinsale' was written and produced by The Script's Glen Power, and features Journey legend Steve Perry.
"Originally being a drummer myself, I’ve really bonded with Glen from The Script," Steve Perry recently told Hot Press. "He sent me this demo and I was immediately struck by how beautiful the melodies are.
"Then I looked into the White Lady of Kinsale and the other folklore aspects of the song and realised the emotional possibilities as well," he continues. "I’ve always been a bit in love with Irish music, elements of which can be heard in Appalachian folk, early country, American Civil War songs and, well, pretty much everything! When the Irish travel, they bring their instruments with them.
"As for the High Kings – wow, their tonality, their delivery and the soul they bring to the track is off the scale," he added. "For my part, I went into the studio here in LA and gave the song the additional harmonies it was asking for."
This is the first album of fully original music from The High Kings – made up of Finbarr Clancy, Darren Holden, Brian Dunphy and Paul O’Brien.
Dermot Kennedy, meanwhile, has claimed the top spot on this week's chart with Sonder, which was at No.2 last week. His latest chart success with the album – which was originally released back in November – is likely down to his lauded Marlay Park gigs on Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24.
The Top 5 also features The Weeknd's The Highlights at No.3 (following his Marlay Park show), Dermot Kennedy's Without Fear at No.4, and Harry Styles' Harry's House at No.5.
Maisie Peters has debuted at No.7 with her second album, The Good Witch.
Listen to The Road Not Taken below:
The High Kings play the National Stadium in Dublin on September 30.
