On his debut album 'A Beginner's Guide to Bravery,' David Keenan invokes an antiquated and, frankly, outdated version of what an Irish artist looks like. Here's theclaremartin's review -
Despite the plethora of music emanating from Ireland’s rocky shores, the singer/songwriter genre is most closely associated with the Emerald Isle. The image of a single balladeer, sitting on a stool in a dingy pub and singing mournfully, may as well be next to every banner ad beckoning tourists to visit the majestic Cliffs of Moher.
David Keenan, Ireland’s latest export from the border town of Dundalk, County Louth , has a roster of his own songs, but he still invokes this antiquated and, frankly, outdated version of what an Irish artist looks like . There are plenty of inspiring artists in Ireland right now—Junior Brother, SOAK, etc.—who fall under the singer/songwriter umbrella, but put their own original twist on the stereotypical image.
Keenan, however, seems content to reference Samuel Beckett and conjure up images of old timey Ireland, with little inner examination. He strings together phrases into a word soup that is meant to seem like poetry, but really just sounds like something a particularly pretentious Tumblr user would dream up. While well-produced at Hellfire Studios, the skilled-yet-dull instrumentation and contrived lyrics make for a disappointing debut.
Opener “James Dean” sets the tone for the album, with Keenan singing overwrought lines about Samuel Beckett’s 1938 brush with death and imagining what James Dean’s life might look like had he survived that fatal car crash.
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