BAP KENNEDY
''THE SAILOR'S REVENGE''
JANUARY 30 2012
48:34
**********
1 Shimnavale 05:06
2 Not A Day Goes By 04:05
3 Jimmy Sanchez 04:38
4 Lonely No More 03:06
5 The Right Stuff 03:46
6 Maybe I Will 04:33
7 Please Return To Jesus 04:11
8 The Sailor's Revenge 04:53
9 Working Man 04:31
10 The Beauty Of You 03:30
11 Celtic Sea 06:09
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Richard Bennett/Guitar (Electric)
Jerry Douglas/Dobro, Lap Steel Guitar
Guy Fletcher/Hammond B3, Piano, Ukulele, Vocals (Background)
Bap Kennedy/Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Brenda Kennedy/Vocal Harmony
Mark Knopfler/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background)
Shane MacGowan
John McCusker/Cittern, Fiddle
Michael McGoldrick/Flute, Pipes, Whistle
Peter O'Hanlon
James Walbourne/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background)
Glenn Worf/Bass (Electric), Bass (Upright)
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Mark Deming
Irish songwriter Bap Kennedy is a talented man who is fortunate enough to have some talented friends -- he's worked in the studio with Steve Earle, Van Morrison, Shane MacGowan, and Nanci Griffith, and on his 2012 album The Sailor's Revenge, his pal Mark Knopfler produced the sessions as well as playing lead guitar. Knopfler's presence may help The Sailor's Revenge get a greater hearing in the United States than the bulk of Kennedy's previous releases, but the producer clearly has too much respect for the artist to impose too much of himself on this material. This is entirely a Bap Kennedy album, a set of literate and atmospheric songs that fuse Kennedy's Irish sensibilities with hints of American blues, folk, and country influences. John McCusker's mournful fiddle and Jerry Douglas' tasteful steel guitar work are given more space in the arrangements than Knopfler's trademark guitar licks, which suits the mood of this material; even the happiest songs on The Sailor's Revenge have a rueful undertow, and bittersweet memories of loves lost and friends missed are common here. Kennedy's vocal style is simple, but he's a good storyteller who knows how to draw the drama from these tales without making them sound melodramatic, and the elegance of his melodies is well served by the musicians and the arrangements, bringing a welcome intimacy to this music that sounds as lovely and melancholy as a night spent watching the moon reflected on the ocean. Mark Knopfler has brought some star power to The Sailor's Revenge, but he's also treated Bap Kennedy's skills as a performer and tunesmith with the care they deserve, and this is a dark but frequently beautiful set of Celtic-flavored contemporary folk.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Mark Deming
Irish-born singer and songwriter Bap Kennedy has won a global audience for his music, which fuses elements of folk and rock with a decidedly Celtic world view. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on June 17, 1962, Martin "Bap" Kennedy got his start in music when he was 16, playing in a short-lived punk rock band called Sellout. Several years later, Kennedy joined a band called the Bankrobbers, and when Kennedy and a few of his bandmates teamed up with members of another Belfast outfit, Ten Past Seven, the group evolved into Energy Orchard, whose blend of lyrical folk and hard-driving rock earned them frequent comparisons with Van Morrison. After relocating to London, Energy Orchard won a following after playing a long-running residency at the New Pegasus, a pub in Hackney, which led to a record deal with MCA. Energy Orchard released five albums between 1990 and 1996, but despite critical praise and the endorsement of Van Morrison, who hired the band as his opening act for several tours, they never enjoyed a major commercial breakthrough. After Energy Orchard broke up, Kennedy got a call from American songwriter Steve Earle, who had been a fan of the group; Earle invited Kennedy to come to Nashville to record some music, which led to Earle producing Kennedy's solo debut, 1998's Domestic Blues, which featured guest appearances by Nancy Griffith and Jerry Douglas and was initially released on Earle's E-Squared label. One song from the album, "Vampire," appeared on the soundtrack of the critically acclaimed indie drama You Can Count on Me.
After cutting a handful of Hank Williams classics for the low-key, self-released album Hillbilly Shakespeare in 1999, Kennedy's next major project was 2000's Lonely Street, a set of originals in which he paid homage to two of his major influences, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley; a track from the album, "Moonlight Kiss," also landed in a movie, the John Cusack vehicle Serendipity. 2000 also saw the release of a live album, Rare, Live & Bladdered, but it would be five years before Kennedy would release another studio album. 2005's The Big Picture featured guest vocals by Shane MacGowan of the Pogues, as well as a songwriting collaboration with Van Morrison on "Milky Way." After the release of The Big Picture, Mark Knopfler invited Kennedy to tour with him as his opening act for a series of shows in the United States and the United Kingdom. That same year, Kennedy also met Brenda Boyd, an author and singer/songwriter; in time, they would marry, and she would join his road band as bassist and backing vocalist, while Bap would also produce her solo album, Banish the Blue Days (released under the name Brenda Kennedy). In 2009, Kennedy visited Ireland to record his album Howl On, which dealt with his youthful obsessions with American culture and featured a guest appearance by Henry McCullough, former guitarist with Joe Cocker's Grease Band. 2012's The Sailor's Revenge found Kennedy crossing paths with Mark Knopfler again; Knopfler produced the album, hosted the sessions at his recording studio, and played guitar on all 11 songs. Following the lush production of The Sailor's Revenge, Kennedy took a different approach for 2014's Let's Start Again, a lean and straightforward set recorded in Northern Ireland after Kennedy moved back to his homeland, featuring backing from his road band.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
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''THE SAILOR'S REVENGE''
JANUARY 30 2012
48:34
**********
1 Shimnavale 05:06
2 Not A Day Goes By 04:05
3 Jimmy Sanchez 04:38
4 Lonely No More 03:06
5 The Right Stuff 03:46
6 Maybe I Will 04:33
7 Please Return To Jesus 04:11
8 The Sailor's Revenge 04:53
9 Working Man 04:31
10 The Beauty Of You 03:30
11 Celtic Sea 06:09
**********
Richard Bennett/Guitar (Electric)
Jerry Douglas/Dobro, Lap Steel Guitar
Guy Fletcher/Hammond B3, Piano, Ukulele, Vocals (Background)
Bap Kennedy/Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Brenda Kennedy/Vocal Harmony
Mark Knopfler/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background)
Shane MacGowan
John McCusker/Cittern, Fiddle
Michael McGoldrick/Flute, Pipes, Whistle
Peter O'Hanlon
James Walbourne/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background)
Glenn Worf/Bass (Electric), Bass (Upright)
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Mark Deming
Irish songwriter Bap Kennedy is a talented man who is fortunate enough to have some talented friends -- he's worked in the studio with Steve Earle, Van Morrison, Shane MacGowan, and Nanci Griffith, and on his 2012 album The Sailor's Revenge, his pal Mark Knopfler produced the sessions as well as playing lead guitar. Knopfler's presence may help The Sailor's Revenge get a greater hearing in the United States than the bulk of Kennedy's previous releases, but the producer clearly has too much respect for the artist to impose too much of himself on this material. This is entirely a Bap Kennedy album, a set of literate and atmospheric songs that fuse Kennedy's Irish sensibilities with hints of American blues, folk, and country influences. John McCusker's mournful fiddle and Jerry Douglas' tasteful steel guitar work are given more space in the arrangements than Knopfler's trademark guitar licks, which suits the mood of this material; even the happiest songs on The Sailor's Revenge have a rueful undertow, and bittersweet memories of loves lost and friends missed are common here. Kennedy's vocal style is simple, but he's a good storyteller who knows how to draw the drama from these tales without making them sound melodramatic, and the elegance of his melodies is well served by the musicians and the arrangements, bringing a welcome intimacy to this music that sounds as lovely and melancholy as a night spent watching the moon reflected on the ocean. Mark Knopfler has brought some star power to The Sailor's Revenge, but he's also treated Bap Kennedy's skills as a performer and tunesmith with the care they deserve, and this is a dark but frequently beautiful set of Celtic-flavored contemporary folk.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Mark Deming
Irish-born singer and songwriter Bap Kennedy has won a global audience for his music, which fuses elements of folk and rock with a decidedly Celtic world view. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on June 17, 1962, Martin "Bap" Kennedy got his start in music when he was 16, playing in a short-lived punk rock band called Sellout. Several years later, Kennedy joined a band called the Bankrobbers, and when Kennedy and a few of his bandmates teamed up with members of another Belfast outfit, Ten Past Seven, the group evolved into Energy Orchard, whose blend of lyrical folk and hard-driving rock earned them frequent comparisons with Van Morrison. After relocating to London, Energy Orchard won a following after playing a long-running residency at the New Pegasus, a pub in Hackney, which led to a record deal with MCA. Energy Orchard released five albums between 1990 and 1996, but despite critical praise and the endorsement of Van Morrison, who hired the band as his opening act for several tours, they never enjoyed a major commercial breakthrough. After Energy Orchard broke up, Kennedy got a call from American songwriter Steve Earle, who had been a fan of the group; Earle invited Kennedy to come to Nashville to record some music, which led to Earle producing Kennedy's solo debut, 1998's Domestic Blues, which featured guest appearances by Nancy Griffith and Jerry Douglas and was initially released on Earle's E-Squared label. One song from the album, "Vampire," appeared on the soundtrack of the critically acclaimed indie drama You Can Count on Me.
After cutting a handful of Hank Williams classics for the low-key, self-released album Hillbilly Shakespeare in 1999, Kennedy's next major project was 2000's Lonely Street, a set of originals in which he paid homage to two of his major influences, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley; a track from the album, "Moonlight Kiss," also landed in a movie, the John Cusack vehicle Serendipity. 2000 also saw the release of a live album, Rare, Live & Bladdered, but it would be five years before Kennedy would release another studio album. 2005's The Big Picture featured guest vocals by Shane MacGowan of the Pogues, as well as a songwriting collaboration with Van Morrison on "Milky Way." After the release of The Big Picture, Mark Knopfler invited Kennedy to tour with him as his opening act for a series of shows in the United States and the United Kingdom. That same year, Kennedy also met Brenda Boyd, an author and singer/songwriter; in time, they would marry, and she would join his road band as bassist and backing vocalist, while Bap would also produce her solo album, Banish the Blue Days (released under the name Brenda Kennedy). In 2009, Kennedy visited Ireland to record his album Howl On, which dealt with his youthful obsessions with American culture and featured a guest appearance by Henry McCullough, former guitarist with Joe Cocker's Grease Band. 2012's The Sailor's Revenge found Kennedy crossing paths with Mark Knopfler again; Knopfler produced the album, hosted the sessions at his recording studio, and played guitar on all 11 songs. Following the lush production of The Sailor's Revenge, Kennedy took a different approach for 2014's Let's Start Again, a lean and straightforward set recorded in Northern Ireland after Kennedy moved back to his homeland, featuring backing from his road band.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
