Damien Dempsey

13th December 2007

This post was written by Benji

Here’s a secret. Ireland’s secret. Damien Rice ain’t all he’s cracked up to be. Damien Dempsey–the ‘other’ Irish Damien–is where it’s at. Imagine if Seal was Irish. Now imagine if Seal didn’t have a raspy voice, but instead had a powerful booming, spine-tingling voice that could be compared to a whole slew of alcoholic beverages (see Matt Berninger of the National). Perhaps you now have a better idea of what Dempsey’s international debut To Hell or Barbados sounds like. It’s part Iron & Wine folky, part tribal in its immediacy and sincerity, and part original in Dempsey’s own unique style. Dempsey’s voice certainly stands out above the lovingly delicate guitars, as it skillfully flutters and sputters gracefully like leaves from an autumn sky. “Kilburn Stroll” just may be one of the most achingly sweet tunes I’ve heard, blending beautifully with the charged “Maasai” or the cautionary “Teachers”. For a guy that looks like he deals in total badassery (see picture above), it’s pretty amazing that Dempsey has conjured up so delicate and earnest a record. Looks aren’t everything, you know.

Go and buy To Hell or Barbados.

Listen to “Kilburn Stroll” (4.9/5)

Listen to “How Strange” (4.5/5)

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2007 at 11:51 am and is filed under Damien Dempsey. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 6 responses to “Damien Dempsey”

Why not let us know what you think by adding your own comment! Your opinion is as valid as anyone elses, so come on... let us know what you think.

1 On December 13th, 2007, Ravel said:
You are 100% right: How Strange is a great song ! I Love it already!
Thanx for sharing.

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
2 On December 18th, 2007, jim said:
stopped reading after “Damien Rice ain’t all he’s cracked up to be” as it demonstrates your complete lack of taste in identifying talented music. damien dempsey might be good, but it was a horrible start to down another “damien” to start your post, however clever you thought it would’ve been. it wasn’t- it was just cheap. keep up with the cheap writing..no one’s going to pay you for it.

posted on December 18th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
3 On December 18th, 2007, Benji said:
Dearest Jim-
I thank you for your constructive drive-by bashing. My guess is that you’ll never read this response, so I suppose it’s not worth my time to rip you apart. I think I’ll just take the high road and assume that you are a guitar-toting, floppy hat-donning, tight-pants wearing hipster that hangs out in front of your local grocery store hoping that some record executive will discover you as the next Gavin Degraw. Sweet.
Sincerely,
Benji

posted on December 18th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
4 On February 14th, 2008, Robbie said:
Benji, mate… You are a cockhead. Way to write a shit article and be open to others opinion

posted on February 14th, 2008 at 2:12 am
5 On February 14th, 2008, Benji said:
Robbie-
I appreciate your eloquence. But c’mon, there might be children reading!
In response to your criticism of ‘being open’, I don’t think straight-up bashing just to have one’s voice heard constitutes an appropriate expression of a difference of opinion (including yours).
In regards to your insults, might I suggest an improvement?: http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/

Benji

posted on February 14th, 2008 at 9:38 am
6 On March 14th, 2008, liamo said:
to hell or barbados is actually his fifth album, not his debut

posted on March 14th, 2008 at 5:58 pm

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