The Sailor's Revenge

It’s not too difficult to figure out why Steve Earle, Van Morrison, Shane McGowan and Mark Knopfler have become fans of Bap Kennedy over the years (Hollywood has also taken notice of the Belfast troubadour – his haunting ballad ‘Moonlight Kiss’ frames a key scene in the John Cusack romantic drama, Serendipity.) Without fanfare, the former Energy Orchard frontman has been making the kind of transatlantic Americana that marks him apart from the hordes of less talented singer-songwriters.
At first listen, his latest album (produced by Mark Knopfler in his London studio) comes across as yet another strong suite of songs, with well turned out melodies and meaningful lyrics. Fine in so far as it goes. But there is more, as Kennedy’s increasingly raw, lived-in vocals and the sparse no-nonsense backing, lend this collection a greater-than-the sum-of-its-parts quality that improves with every listen. From the lilting country waltz of ‘Not A Day Goes By’ to the Dylanesque title-track and the hopeful sentiments in ‘Jimmy Sanchez’ – inspired by the youngest of the rescued Chilean miners – Kennedy’s approach blends country, folk and Irish traditional textures with seamless skill. Elsewhere, ‘Maybe I Will’ is the kind of Latin-tinged ballad with which The Mavericks’ Raul Malo would probably score a huge hit. In Kennedy’s hands it’s an understated gem which sums up this thoroughly satisfying release