Damien Dempsey - Almighty Love

  by Andy Cassidy

published: 12 / 10 / 2012

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Review

Donaghmede’s own Damien Dempsey’s sixth album, 'Almighty Love, 'came as something of a surprise to me. A few months before its release, Dempsey posted an article on his website detailing his struggles with depression and writer’s block. When I read it, I assumed that it would be some time before I heard anything else from the one-time Morrissey favourite. Listening to the album, I was struck firstly by the maturity of the material. Dempsey, whose debut single 'Dublin Town' was described as “an underground anthem for disaffected youth,” retains all of the passion of his earlier material, but, with this release, he sounds more like an elder statesman of new-Irish folk, wise beyond his thirty seven years. The title track, 'Almighty Love', has an anthemic quality. Dempsey has that rare quality as a songwriter that he can name-check Rosa Parks and Tony Benn in a lyric without sounding as though he is preaching. 'Almighty Love' is a glorious epiphany of a song, soaked in Celtic folk but never shackled by it. The highlight of the album for me is 'Chris and Stevie'. It’s an elegy to friendship, and stays just on the right side of sentimentality. The song has a real “pub song” quality to it – one can imagine hearing it in an after-hours session in Toners. The song’s gorgeous ending, with Dempsey’s plaintive vocal over a swell of piano and strings, is simply breathtaking. Similarly, the simple guitar and lilting vocal of 'Bustin Outta Here' make for a song that comfortably straddles traditional Irish folk and contemporary rock. This is, perhaps, Dempsey’s greatest strength as a songwriter – his music is a natural evolution from the more folky offerings of his predecessors such as Christy Moore and, while he can tackle similar subjects with the same depth of emotion, his modern and fresh delivery makes his music on a par with contemporary performers such as Damien Rice or Jack Savoretti. Dempsey’s music is folk for the post-Celtic tiger generation. While songs like 'Canadian Geese' or 'Fire in the Glen' have a timeless quality, their arrangement and delivery is just modern enough that they could sound equally at home in a rowdy boozer in Temple Bar or in a quiet bar off Grafton Street. 'Almighty Love' is a celebratory album, and perhaps Dempsey’s finest yet.

Track Listing:-

1 Intro
2 Almighty Love
3 Chris and Stevie
4 Born Without Hate
5 Bustin Outta Here
6 Fire in the Glen
7 Canadian Geese
8 The Good and the Great
9 Community
10 Money Man
11 You're the Cure

Band Links:-

https://twitter.com/damodempsey
http://www.damiendempsey.com/
https://www.facebook.com/damiendempsey
http://www.last.fm/music/Damien+Dempse

Label Links:-

http://irl.org.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/SpiritIRL