Dermot Kennedy
[tags: acoustic, americana, singer-songwriter]
Listen while reading:
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The holidays are over and CFM is back with some fresh music you really should listen to. I’m talking about a young man from Dublin/Ireland with a fascinating americana voice armed with acoustic guitar and a bunch of great acoustic songs up his sleeves. He goes by the name Dermot Kennedy and has not released his debut record yet. Reason for this may be the fact that he only just recently found a good backing band to make music with. I tell you something: I really could imagine him and his music being the new act, say maybe on labels like Suburban Home Recordings – you may disagree, but I still say so.
The strumming acoustic guitar play on steel strings dominates the record and I don’t want to fight the battle of techniques because I think finger picking got its moments especially when it comes to complex melodies, but strumming, on the other hand, can express very well the emotions of the often thoughtful and sorrowful songs by contrasting the “hard” sound of the steel strings with the emotional americana like voice.
And speaking of Dermot’s voice I can tell you that it will grow very fast on you and takes you prisoner because it is very present but still full of feeling, maybe not as whiskey driven as a Chuck Ragan, but in the end it is it what makes the music really special. And I can assure you that the first release that will see the light of day in the future, will be a great one if it is as good as the eight tracks Dermot sent over for listening.
What is there more to tell…yeah, beginning with the tracks I got on my HD I can say that their style is similar and without experiments – and you know, I consider this a very good thing because there is no attempt to hide the intimacy that lies in the tracks and I think every listener will appreciate that, because it brings together the artist, the music and the recipient. And the old argument, that a non experimental style would be non creative or even boring, is just wrong because that kind of music just needs a bit more attention – and this separates the masses in a good way, me thinks.
So, if you want to know a bit more about Dermot Kennedy, visit his MySpace site and listen to some of his music. I for myself can only repeat what I said above, namely that I think Dermot’s music is a hidden treasure that is still to be discovered – so don’t walk along without spending a minute or two.
