Damien Dempsey

[Wolfie]

With a new album due out 1st June - "To Hell or Barbados" and a gig in Vicar Street on the same night - I thought I'd throw this one up for discussion.

Despite very loyal core support both in Ireland and abroad - opinion remains divided on Damo. I've been a long time fan of his tunes and think he remains seriously under-rated.

Apart from a few others, he's a contemporary Irish artist to be proud of rather than embarassed about.

So, Damo - Genius or clueless?

[anto1208]

I was a big fan i like the songs iv e seen him 3 or 4 times now ,i like that he sings in his own accent , but i just wish he would shut up going on about the old celtic days and about imperial rule at the hands of the british etc etc . Some times i listen to them and think who is he talking to whats the point in giving out to dead people !!. He goes on like old ireland was a great place where people held hands and picked flowers and where really advanced untill the english came and ruined it .


Still id prefere to listen to him than a band in a can lot like bell x1 or snow patrol .

[Wolfie]

I was a big fan i like the songs iv e seen him 3 or 4 times now ,i like that he sings in his own accent , but i just wish he would shut up going on about the old celtic days and about imperial rule at the hands of the british etc etc . Some times i listen to them and think who is he talking to whats the point in giving out to dead people !!. He goes on like old ireland was a great place where people held hands and picked flowers and where really advanced untill the english came and ruined it .


Still id prefere to listen to him than a band in a can lot like bell x1 or snow patrol .

Its true - a song like "Colony" - a song about colonisation - isn't for everyone.

That said - songs like "Spraypaint Back Alley" and "Factories" are about growing up in an urban area that many could identify with.

Due to a few tunes that dealt with colonisation and other irish struggles he's become stereotyped - unfairly in my opinion. The majority of his songs deal with wider themes and are often brilliantly articulated and observed.

[Dodge]

Can't stand him. Simplistic lyrics, horrible voice. He's a like that bloke that sings in the bar in every local pub in Dublin. Only more annoying

[brokenstar]

Can't stand him. Simplistic lyrics, horrible voice. He's a like that bloke that sings in the bar in every local pub in Dublin. Only more annoying

Have to say i agree with Dodge on this one. Don't really see the appeal here at all. And i'd have to say he's TWICE as annoying as that bloke in the pubs!

[SligoBrewer]

hes a wannbe n00b ronnie drew

[TonyD]

Despite very loyal core support both in Ireland and abroad - opinion remains divided on Damo. I've been a long time fan of his tunes and think he remains seriously under-rated.




Tunes ? Damien Dempsey ? Shurley Shome Mishtake :eek:

Agree with Dodge. Awful voice, lyrics of the "World is bad/I'm so sad/it makes me mad... school. File under - Doing it for a Bet.

[Wolfie]

Given the overwhelmingly positive vibes on this thread so far - :rolleyes: - The following comments may be as welcome as a fart in a space suit - but I'll take the barbed comments in order to add...............................

Damien Dempsey gig at Vicar Street on Friday was excellent. Definitely the best Irish live performer around at the moment. The atmosphere at the gigs are always brilliant. Great to see a performer feed off the crowds vibes and to put so much into a gig. A true original.

The new album - "To Hell or Barbados" is excellent by anyones standards - and its very apparent to hear a new maturity in the songwriting, the vocals and the scope of the songs subject matter.

If this album were released by more trendy artists - it would be labelled an instant classic.

Simplistic lyrics and poor vocals certainly can't be levelled at him on this album.

Hope I'm not coming across too evangelical on this but I genuinely think this album deserves to be heard. There's an honesty and an earnestness to some tunes that may not be for everyone - but there's no doubting the talent. Sometimes a total musical diet of wry sarcasm aint enough.

Do youself a favour and give the new album a listen with an open mind.

[Dodge]

Do youself a favour and give the new album a listen with an open mind.
I won't thanks BUT music is all about opnions and he obviously has a fairly big following so good luck to him (and anyone who likes him)

[anto1208]

Ill still prob get the album as i like him and there has been nothing else any good released for ages .

I have seen him a few times and will go to see him again this year at picnic

[gilberto_eire]

Can't stand him. Simplistic lyrics, horrible voice. He's a like that bloke that sings in the bar in every local pub in Dublin. Only more annoying

thats an awful description to give imo. ive been a fan since the day the 2nd album came out(but was aware of him before that stage) from the 1st two albums(not including the old one which was re-released after Shots and which most ppl call the 1st ''they dont teach this **** in school'' ) there is barely a bad song in there. the 1st album(seize the day) is flawless id listen to every song on it and ''shots'' only has 2/3 bad songs on it.
simplistic lyrics??.... not really... even so i pointed out to a friend recently when listening to a song that its 90% beat and even if they made a humming noise to the rhythem of the words it would still be good song.
but thats not to say his words are simple, if most here have only heard the songs on the radio and on jukeboxs etc... well then you have only heard the lesser songs IMO as the good ones were never released!.
''Apple of my Eye'' ''Negative Vibes'' ''Cursed with a Brain'' ''Its All Good'' and ''celtic tiger'' to name but a few, check them few songs out and if you still feel the same fair enough... the lyrics for ''cursed with a brain'' are FAR from simplistic are very powerful about how we act as humans!!, or ''celtic tiger''.. about how greedy the country has got...

i think its sad the an artist is writing origional songs about real things is been accused of been ''simplistic''... while snow patrol(along with the majority of every other band/artist) sing about ''chasing cars''(dont want to write the lyrics out say them in your head its mumbo jumbo) and

if anyone really wants to hear them and has no access id be more then happy to(spread the word) send via msn

[Dodge]

i think its sad the an artist is writing origional songs about real things is been accused of been ''simplistic''... while snow patrol(along with the majority of every other band/artist) sing about ''chasing cars''(dont want to write the lyrics out say them in your head its mumbo jumbo)

For the record I wouldn't say Snow Patrol are any better than him.

And ever hear of Metaphors? Or even imagery?

[gilberto_eire]

For the record I wouldn't say Snow Patrol are any better than him.

And ever hear of Metaphors? Or even imagery?

ya well its the same for damo too... your saying his lyrics are ''simplistic'' which there not..cant defend every song alright but the majority are about delicate topics and not nonsense....
all im saying is you cant attack someone for something they dont even do, when your prob a fan of mainstream acts(<insert most mainstream acts name here>), that are full of it

[Dodge]

Why would make assumptions about my tastes based on my opinion of ONE singer?

Anyway, I think he's awful and you don't so like I said to Wolfie, enjoy

[gilberto_eire]

Why would make assumptions about my tastes based on my opinion of ONE singer?

Anyway, I think he's awful and you don't so like I said to Wolfie, enjoy

not till i ''convert'' you!!:p.....:D

[Wolfie]

Ill still prob get the album as i like him and there has been nothing else any good released for ages .

I have seen him a few times and will go to see him again this year at picnic

Its well worth getting Anto - check out Maasai, Kilburn Stroll, Teachers and To Hell or Barbados.

[jebus]

Have to say that my girlfriend's a fan and gave me a loan of two albums and I thought they were muck. Couldn't get into any of the subjects he was trying to bring across, thought his voice/accent was horrible, and overall didn't like his somewhat twee Irish attitude. I'm sure I'll end up listening to the new album at some point, if only to appease the missus

[anto1208]

Have to say that my girlfriend's a fan and gave me a loan of two albums and I thought they were muck. Couldn't get into any of the subjects he was trying to bring across, thought his voice/accent was horrible, and overall didn't like his somewhat twee Irish attitude. I'm sure I'll end up listening to the new album at some point, if only to appease the missus

I like the fact he sings in his own accient ( dispite my hatred for all things dublin ) rather than puttin gon a fake american accient .

Live he is brilliant rocked dolans recently , but i do sometimes get annoyed with the "old ireland was great" and the "im being kept down" attitude that comes across sometimes . But you get that with all working class people :D

But i dont think anyone can say seize the day is anything but a class song

[jebus]

I like the fact he sings in his own accient ( dispite my hatred for all things dublin ) rather than puttin gon a fake american accient .

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather his horrible Dublin accent to a put on American accent all day, but I still don't want to have to listen to it.

Isn't the lyrics to Seize The Day..."Seize the dayayaya, sure at least you've had a laugh"? or something to that effect? :p

[anto1208]

you dont want no regrets when you look back .

But any lyrics written out sound stupid , i dont think he is great but at least while maybe simplistic they do say something rather than random words that rhyme

[gilberto_eire]

you dont want no regrets when you look back .

But any lyrics written out sound stupid , i dont think he is great but at least while maybe simplistic they do say something rather than random words that rhyme

if there simplistic lyrics, what isnt??... im stumped now..because he's telling stories, what is it that happens in mainstream so?? off the top of my head even johnny cash's lyrics are ridicioules....''jackson'' just came to my head

''We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout,
We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out.....''

i know not all his songs are that simplistic but its the norm for him...i could quote some damo too...while every single line mightnt be deep though it is the majority!

[Wolfie]

The songs that reference "Old Ireland" are more to acknowledge that these people existed and suffered. It's not to harp on about the past but more to acknowledge that these people were not a figment of our imagination.

He's far from fixated about Ireland exlusively. A lot of the new album has universal themes.

On previous albums he's written about the Choctaw Nation (American Indians) and has referenced the Indian in Asia, Aboriginal Australia and the African People. He's a song on the new album that references the Maasai tribe.

Some of the lyrical content on the new album is quite poetic:

on "Masaai"

When I die, I want to die
Not in a home built by the unknown
but by the hand of the Maasai

When I Love, I want to Love
Not like a swine with no semblence of spine
but like a flower loves sunshine.

OK, its not Dylanesque but its not overly simplistic either.

As previously posted - music is all about personal taste. One man's meat is another mans poison etc etc. I do believe he's to be celebrated in Ireland rather than ridiculed.

Sadly, until he makes it in abroad, he won't gain the recognition he deserves here.

[Dricky]

Can't say I'm a fan but he certainly has a strong following in Ireland and he is not like the manufactured band so more power to him. I found his earlier stuff easier on the ears.
At least it is getting a lot of Dubs off their addiction with Aslan.

[anto1208]

Can't say I'm a fan but he certainly has a strong following in Ireland and he is not like the manufactured band so more power to him. I found his earlier stuff easier on the ears.
At least it is getting a lot of Dubs off their addiction with Aslan.

I never understood that , how the hell can anyone pay money to see them , one good song and it was a cover !!!:eek:

[anto1208]

The songs that reference "Old Ireland" are more to acknowledge that these people existed and suffered. It's not to harp on about the past but more to acknowledge that these people were not a figment of our imagination.

He's far from fixated about Ireland exlusively. A lot of the new album has universal themes.

On previous albums he's written about the Choctaw Nation (American Indians) and has referenced the Indian in Asia, Aboriginal Australia and the African People. He's a song on the new album that references the Maasai tribe.

Some of the lyrical content on the new album is quite poetic:

on "Masaai"

When I die, I want to die
Not in a home built by the unknown
but by the hand of the Maasai

When I Love, I want to Love
Not like a swine with no semblence of spine
but like a flower loves sunshine.

OK, its not Dylanesque but its not overly simplistic either.

As previously posted - music is all about personal taste. One man's meat is another mans poison etc etc. I do believe he's to be celebrated in Ireland rather than ridiculed.

Sadly, until he makes it in abroad, he won't gain the recognition he deserves here.


Im not saying its bad im just saying he is no conor Orburst or pete doherthey who are much more poetic , I like damo i have the first 3 albums ill get this one too . As someone else said sometimes he does get a bit im sad it makes me mad ....... But he should be celebrated the people that say things liek he's a poor pub singer are the kind of peopel that reckon chris martin is a great song writer or the Kaiser chiefs are good !!

[gilberto_eire]

(for any1 who likes him and didnt see this)
went on wiki on his page and found a link to an hr long documentary made by RTE about him up until ''seize the day'' came out, its good worth a look!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Dempsey

on another note just got the album earlier, and so far so good!!:)

[Wolfie]

(for any1 who likes him and didnt see this)
went on wiki on his page and found a link to an hr long documentary made by RTE about him up until ''seize the day'' came out, its good worth a look!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Dempsey

on another note just got the album earlier, and so far so good!!:)


Yeah, Gilberto - I've seen that documentary a few times and its very good.

What's the verdict on the album?

[SligoBrewer]

(for any1 who likes him and didnt see this)
went on wiki on his page and found a link to an hr long documentary made by RTE about him up until ''seize the day'' came out, its good worth a look!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Dempsey

on another note just got the album earlier, and so far so good!!:)

you spent an hour watching that wailing git:eek:

[gilberto_eire]

Yeah, Gilberto - I've seen that documentary a few times and its very good.

What's the verdict on the album?

its a massive change of style from the first two anyway(i dunno it feels differant anyway....??)
i really like ''maasai'' and ''your pretty smile'' so far after 2/3 listens(they have stuck out so far) but thats not saying others arent good i like ''Kilburn Stroll'' and ''Chase the Light'' too but they just havent stuck out as much at this early stage yet!
maasai has a slight similarity to ''marching season song'' instrumental wise!
i think im gonna like them all bar one from 1st time listening anyway... that been ''serious'' the story telling one(similar to stan-eminem in style) but have only gave it a brief listen!!..... looks as good as ''Shots'' anyway but i dont think anyone could top ''seize the day'' there isnt one song on that i dont think top is class and it is pure genius!!

[TonyD]

Im not saying its bad im just saying he is no conor Orburst or pete doherthey who are much more poetic , I like damo i have the first 3 albums ill get this one too . As someone else said sometimes he does get a bit im sad it makes me mad ....... But he should be celebrated the people that say things liek he's a poor pub singer are the kind of peopel that reckon chris martin is a great song writer or the Kaiser chiefs are good !!


That was me, and I stand by it. I'm not a fan of Chris Martin either, the Kaiserchiefs have a couple of good songs (in rowdy knockabout kind of way) If you want to listen to someone who sings in his own accent and writes simple(rather than simplistic) honest and heartfelt lyrics, not to mention songs with actual tunes, try Billy Bragg. Streets ahead of Damo.

[Wolfie]

That was me, and I stand by it. I'm not a fan of Chris Martin either, the Kaiserchiefs have a couple of good songs (in rowdy knockabout kind of way) If you want to listen to someone who sings in his own accent and writes simple(rather than simplistic) honest and heartfelt lyrics, not to mention songs with actual tunes, try Billy Bragg. Streets ahead of Damo.

The new Damo album is lyrically articulate with tunes a plenty!!!

[anto1208]

That was me, and I stand by it. I'm not a fan of Chris Martin either, the Kaiserchiefs have a couple of good songs (in rowdy knockabout kind of way) If you want to listen to someone who sings in his own accent and writes simple(rather than simplistic) honest and heartfelt lyrics, not to mention songs with actual tunes, try Billy Bragg. Streets ahead of Damo.


I have nt heard billy bragg , but a mate has recomended him i was slightly put off as the same mate thinks snow patrol are good :eek:

[TonyD]

I just went on to youtube and checked out DD, just to see if I was wrong. Guess what ? I wasn't. Clicked on a song called factories. No discernible tune - lyric which went "doing drugs and drinking makes you so depressed, and then you think you're blessed, when you're chopping a tablet":eek: (Apologies if I've misquoted, I think that's how it went)

Dear God !

Oh and Anto, if you can get youtube check out Billy Bragg on that. (And don't let the Snow Patrol thing put you off - different planets;)

[gilberto_eire]

I just went on to youtube and checked out DD, just to see if I was wrong. Guess what ? I wasn't. Clicked on a song called factories. No discernible tune - lyric which went "doing drugs and drinking makes you so depressed, and then you think you're blessed, when you're chopping a tablet":eek: (Apologies if I've misquoted, I think that's how it went)

Dear God !

Oh and Anto, if you can get youtube check out Billy Bragg on that. (And don't let the Snow Patrol thing put you off - different planets;)its when your DROPPING a tablet!!...... ya whats wrong with that?. he's saying that drugs make you depressed but you only think of what they do to ya when your taking them and your blind to the emotional effects they have apart from that
you've viewed that song as ''i just want to prove myself right'' there was nothing going to change your opinion thats fair enough it would be the same as someone telling me about ''grunge metal'' slipknot etc.... even if i listened id be saying in my head ''its ****'' and i wouldnt change my opinion cause i really dont want too anyway!

the price of oil-billy bragg

It's all about the price of oil
it's all about the price of oil
don't give me no ****
about blood, sweat, tears and toil
it's all about the price of oil

see ive looked at this negatively looking to scrutinise something and i can say thats even worse then the lines you picked out!!...

[TonyD]

its when your DROPPING a tablet!!...... ya whats wrong with that?. he's saying that drugs make you depressed No, is he really ? :Dbut you only think of what they do to ya when your taking them and your blind to the emotional effects they have apart from that
you've viewed that song as ''i just want to prove myself right'' there was nothing going to change your opinion Oh, I dunno, a decent tune might have thats fair enough it would be the same as someone telling me about ''grunge metal'' slipknot etc.... even if i listened id be saying in my head ''its ****'' and i wouldnt change my opinion cause i really dont want too anyway!

the price of oil-billy bragg

It's all about the price of oil
it's all about the price of oil
don't give me no ****
about blood, sweat, tears and toil
it's all about the price of oil

see ive looked at this negatively looking to scrutinise something and i can say thats even worse then the lines you picked out!!...

You can say it, I can disagree. OK, it's not the Bragsters finest hour lyric wise (actually I've always preferred his personal songs over his political anyway) but there's plenty of examples of fine Bragg lyrics, and I'll say it again, TUNES. And if you think I'm being selective and unfair on Damo, point me towards a good song by him. Can't say fairer than that.

[gilberto_eire]

the 1st one i heard anyway and which is one of his best is ''negative vibes'' or ''its all good'' the latter been the one a friend of mine LOVES even though he's not big into this type of music...... ''its all good'' is on youtube but its live and i dont think he's as good live cause he doesnt fake and just uses instruments with no studio sounds!!... those two tune wise and all round are good...but if you want good lyrics ''cursed with a brain'' is good, has a point imo!. well if you want any of those songs ill provide them for ya over msn if you have that!...i know im that nice a guy!! :D

[Wolfie]

And if you think I'm being selective and unfair on Damo, point me towards a good song by him. Can't say fairer than that.

TonyD - I think these are strong Damo tracks:

"Spraypaint Back Alley", "Not on your own tonight", "Party on", "Hold Me", "Sing all our cares away", "Choctaw Nation" - All these are on the album "Shots".

"Maasai", "You're Pretty Smile", "Kilburn Stroll", "Chase the Light", "Teachers", "To Hell or Barbados", "Summers in my Heart" - all off of the new album.

Like most things worth sticking with - he's an acquired taste. Like Guinness. Once you "get it" - you're hooked.

I've listened to Indie tunes pretty much from when I heard the first Roses LP in 1989 and I was converted to the Damo cause.

[Marked Man]

It's a little unfair to compare Damien Dempsey with Bob Dylan (45 years of recording experience) and Billy Bragg (about 25 years). Dempsey is still fairly early on in his career, and at the corresponding points in their careers, both of the other two artists named above had a fairly straightforward and earnest approach to their craft. Look at Dylan's "The times They are a-Changing" most of the songs there are extremely literal protest songs. Similarly, Bragg's first few eps/albums are made up largely of literal songs that describe either his own personal experience or protest aspects of Thatcherite England ("it says here", "lovers town revisited"). When he attempted the metaphorical, the results were sometimes embarrassing ("I am the milkman of human kindness, I will leave an extra pint...").

For the record, I like all 3 artists. My point is that songwriters develop their craft as they go along, and it's not uncommon for young songwriters to favor direct, literal lyrics, before they become adept with the use of imagery.

And while there's nothing wrong at all with literal, direct lyrics (or else how would the Sex Pistols or The Clash be any good?), there's plenty of imagery in Dempsey's songs (look at how he plays with pre-existing imagery: the idea of the Celtic Tiger as a vicious animal, New York as the apple of his eye; or uses images of ghosts of the departed on building stairwells, or the image of a blizzard to set the scene for an acid trip gone wrong; or images from Irish history: woodcairns, seanchais, etc...).

In the end, you either like him or don't, but there is plenty of imagery to be found if you're willing to put the time in with him that you would with other artists.

[anto1208]

It's all about the price of oil
it's all about the price of oil
don't give me no ****
about blood, sweat, tears and toil
it's all about the price of oil


Oh no not yet another song writter going on about crap they know nothing about .

[Marked Man]

You think it isn't about the price of oil?

[TonyD]

It's a little unfair to compare Damien Dempsey with Bob Dylan (45 years of recording experience) and Billy Bragg (about 25 years). Dempsey is still fairly early on in his career, and at the corresponding points in their careers, both of the other two artists named above had a fairly straightforward and earnest approach to their craft. Look at Dylan's "The times They are a-Changing" most of the songs there are extremely literal protest songs. Similarly, Bragg's first few eps/albums are made up largely of literal songs that describe either his own personal experience or protest aspects of Thatcherite England ("it says here", "lovers town revisited"). When he attempted the metaphorical, the results were sometimes embarrassing ("I am the milkman of human kindness, I will leave an extra pint...").

For the record, I like all 3 artists. My point is that songwriters develop their craft as they go along, and it's not uncommon for young songwriters to favor direct, literal lyrics, before they become adept with the use of imagery.


In the end, you either like him or don't, but there is plenty of imagery to be found if you're willing to put the time in with him that you would with other artists.

Don't really agree with your thesis about songwriters. Many have written their best songs early in their careers. In fact every major songwriter I'm a fan of has disimproved with age. McCartney, Paul Simon, Paul Weller(drastically) even probably my favourite, Elvis Costello. I'm not a Bob Dylan fan by any means (can't stand the voice) but you raised the lyrics of "The Times......." If my memory is right it begins:

"Come gather round people wherever you roam and admit that the waters around you have grown, and accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone, If your time to you is worth saving, then you'd better start swimming, or sink like a stone, for the times they are a changing"

Not too shabby lyrics there I think you'll agree. OK they're pretty literal, but also literate.

On to Billy Bragg. Again some of his early songs are some of his best. (I quite like the Milkman of Human Kindness line you quoted btw:) don't think it's embarrassing at all.) Take "A New England" or the majestic "Saturday Boy"

"She danced with me and I still hold that memory soft and sweet
And I stare up at her window, as I walk down her street
But I never made the first team, I just made the first team laugh
And she never came to the phone, she was always in the bath

I never understood my failings then, and I hide my humble hopes now
Thinking back, she made us want her
A girl not old enough to shave her legs"

Anyway, I'm kinda sorry I got a bit sidetracked into the whole lyrics thing, which is a mistake a lot of people make when discussing songwriting in my view. The tune is just as important, in fact more so I think. Otherwise it might as well all be poetry. One of my favourite bands is Teenage Fanclub, and their lyrics are no great shakes really. I do think Damien Dempseys lyrics are pretty rubbish, but I could forgive that. It's the absence of decent tunes
and what is (to my ears anyway) an awful voice that puts me off. I'll freely admit I haven't heard much of him, but I have heard a couple of the songs mentioned above - Spraypaint Backalley, Negative Vibes, It's All Good are the ones that come to mind.

In the end of course, it's as you said. You either like him, or you don't. But I've enjoyed the debate.

[Wolfie]

It's a little unfair to compare Damien Dempsey with Bob Dylan (45 years of recording experience) and Billy Bragg (about 25 years). Dempsey is still fairly early on in his career, and at the corresponding points in their careers, both of the other two artists named above had a fairly straightforward and earnest approach to their craft. Look at Dylan's "The times They are a-Changing" most of the songs there are extremely literal protest songs. Similarly, Bragg's first few eps/albums are made up largely of literal songs that describe either his own personal experience or protest aspects of Thatcherite England ("it says here", "lovers town revisited"). When he attempted the metaphorical, the results were sometimes embarrassing ("I am the milkman of human kindness, I will leave an extra pint...").

For the record, I like all 3 artists. My point is that songwriters develop their craft as they go along, and it's not uncommon for young songwriters to favor direct, literal lyrics, before they become adept with the use of imagery.

And while there's nothing wrong at all with literal, direct lyrics (or else how would the Sex Pistols or The Clash be any good?), there's plenty of imagery in Dempsey's songs (look at how he plays with pre-existing imagery: the idea of the Celtic Tiger as a vicious animal, New York as the apple of his eye; or uses images of ghosts of the departed on building stairwells, or the image of a blizzard to set the scene for an acid trip gone wrong; or images from Irish history: woodcairns, seanchais, etc...).

In the end, you either like him or don't, but there is plenty of imagery to be found if you're willing to put the time in with him that you would with other artists.

Agree that songwriters do develop and hone their craft as they go along. Some would argue that they gain something in this process but sometimes can lose something as part of that process as well.

That said - Damo's new album is a leap forward Vocally, Lyrically and Musically. There is an element of "light and shade" to this album that was missing, particulary from "Seize the Day" - which certainly had its darker moments.

"To Hell or Barbados" uses a variety of musical styles. The reviews have been predominantly very positive. Its undeniably good.

[Marked Man]

Don't really agree with your thesis about songwriters. Many have written their best songs early in their careers. In fact every major songwriter I'm a fan of has disimproved with age. .

I wouldn't (didn't) say that songwriters generally write their best material after their early years. I doubt there's a strong general tendency there one way or other (Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Billy Bragg, Bob Marley have all gotten better as they went along; John Lennon, AC/DC, Jagger/Richards, David Bowie have all (IMO) gone downhill as they got older). My claim was only that it was not unusual for singers to incorporate more use of imagery as they got older.

[Wolfie]

As the threads pre-dated posts testify there's certainly mixed opinion on Damo Dempsey

He's playing Vicar Street on Monday 26th Nov and Tuesday 27th Nov.

Will any of the pro-Damo front be there?

[CollegeTillIDie]

I identify with some of Damo's songs but then that's cause he's from the Estate just over the road! :D

[gilberto_eire]

i was there in the ''roisin dubh'' in galway anyway:)

[Wolfie]

From Damo's site:

Trad Songs Covers Album - "The Rocky Road" to be released.

Damien’s new album, “The Rocky Road” is set for release in June. In Ireland it will be released on June 6 by SonyBMG and in the UK on June 16 by IRL. Release dates in other countries will be announced shortly.

SonyBMG will release a single in Ireland, “A Rainy Night in Soho” on May 30th and it will be available as a digital download as well on as CD.

The album features guest performers John Sheahan and Barney McKenna of The Dubliners and Sharon Shannon. Tracks include “The Rocky Road to Dublin”, “The Foggy Dew”, “The Hot Asphalt” and “A Rainy Night in Soho” among others.

Damien says, “Ballads are my roots, it was the first music that turned me on, and the first songs that I heard being sung in my home by friends and family. I would have over two hundred ballads in my head, and I used to sing them regularly in pubs around Dublin in the 1990’s. I reckoned I had a good feel for these songs, and as I studied Irish history, I felt I could really tell their story and do them some justice on an album.”

[bennocelt]

ta Wolfie must look out for that:)

[Marked Man]

Hhhmmnnn.. a live album and an album of covers comprise two of the last 3 releases. Running out of ideas?

[Traps Cat]

Hhhmmnnn.. a live album and an album of covers comprise two of the last 3 releases. Running out of ideas?

Dont think so - all three will have been released over a period of only 18 months. Might be the case if they were two years apart