Hailing from Belfast, but dividing his time between London, Nashville and his home town, BAP KENNEDY is probably liable to register on most folks' radar as either the former Energy Orchard singer or else as brother of the horribly over-rated Brian Kennedy.
We can hardly hold this latter against him, however, and this new solo album 'Howl On' suggests that he's on a creative roll all his own. It's his fourth solo record since 1998 (his critically-acclaimed debut 'Domestic Blues' was produced by Steve Earle) and while previous high-profile collaborators such as Van Morrison and Shane MacGowan are absent this time round, that's largely immaterial. 'Howl On' is an intelligent, easy-going country-tinged treasure which doesn't require name-dropping to make its' point.
It's also (don't panic!) a 'concept' album of sorts, in that many of the songs were written to commemorate the 40th anniversary of that pivotal year 1969. Arguably the year the Hippie dream went sour for good, it was of course the year of Woodstock, Altamont and, more presciently, the Moon Landing. Several of the tunes thus refer directly to these events, but hearteningly, they're among the best things here.
'Cold War Country Blues' is a snappy, Hank Williams-referencing roots riot which catches the political wind of those times (“you'd better get it right John Kennedy..'cos if you get it wrong they're gonna drop the atom bomb”) while the plaintive 'Brave Captain' discusses the 'will they or won't they?' aspect of whether the Apollo mission to the Moon will make it or not. The self-explanatory 'Ballad of Neil Armstrong', meanwhile, is hardly celebratory, but it is a classic, teary-eyed acoustic ballad which is not only a great finale, but perhaps the finest tune of all on display here.
Woodstock is evoked deliberately through an Albert Lee-style country-rock clip through the Hendrix-heisted 'Hey Joe' (with Woodstock performer Henry McCullough on guitar), although it's the one less than essential selection here. Far better are honest-to-goodness roots confessionals like 'The Blue One' or the lilting 'America' which appears to be about the author's on-going love-hate relationship with the vast continent and benefits from some gorgeous, Sneaky Pete-style Hawaiian pedal steel from Percy Robinson.
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Elsewhere, there are a couple of likeable surprises. With its' references to Michael Collins, 'Irish Moon' could be a rebel song of sorts, though it could just as easily be cocking a snook to the dreaded 'Country & Irish' sound (if there's such a thing as a musical equivalent of the German Democratic Republic this is surely it), yet somehow its' beauty is there for all to hear. 'One of Those Days' also distinguishes itself: partly for for rocking harder than anything else here, but also for its' positivity-first lyrical slant (“I tried to keep it positive and see the Cosmic plan/ 'cos I know in the scheme of things I'm a lucky man”) which makes a refreshing change amid the usual whiny Rock Star bollocks.
This review, then, is one of those pleasurable experiences where prejudices can be ripped up and lobbed on to the bonfire. Having for many years dismissed Bap Kennedy by dint of association, he's come along and blown me away with a peach of a country-roots album when I least expected it. I didn't imagine I'd respond to 'Howl On', yet it turns out to be a truly affecting sound. Nuff respect to its' author, however belatedly.
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