Kevin Hunt - Devil's Daughter (Album Review)
Kevin Hunt might well be a new name to many and ‘Devil’s Daughter’ is indeed his debut album but dig a little deeper and you’ll find twenty-five years of hard work and plenty of road miles etched into the grooves of ‘Devil’s Daughter’. Kevin’s slow ascent up the folk music ladder was boosted by an appearance at Cambridge Folk Festival in 2018 and the time was finally right to get his songs captured for posterity. The Irishman ventured into Gladeside Studios in Cambridge, where producer Dan Wilde was the man entrusted to capture the essence and spirit of those road worked tunes.
With references to Cyprus Avenue and Saint Dominic’s Preview the album's opening track, ‘A Healin’ finds Kevin channelling Van the Man for a little inspiration, “Original songs about the same old problems” as Kevin himself puts it. Van Morrison is a giant of Irish music and his influence is almost to be expected, but Kevin wears it well. Jamie Welsted’s light-touch drums and the upright bass of the always-on point John Parker (Nizlopi / Emily Mae Winters) are the glue holding everything together while Ian Pearson’s violin proves integral, which is hardly surprising as he and Kevin have been working together for over a decade. Anna Hester provides the harmonies, her voice working nicely to smooth the edges of Kevin’s deeper tones.
Lyrically Kevin sings songs of redemption; the tone tends to be bleak, but with the overall feeling that acceptance breeds recovery and thoughts of religion and the power of the church are never far away. This is not to say that ‘Devil’s Daughter’ is by definition a bleak listen. Producer Dan Wilde puts his multi-instrumentalist skills to good use, his piano adding an unexpectedly positive coda to ‘Stoney Broke In Dublin’ before switching to electric guitar brings an upbeat light country twang to the title track. Side one of the album concludes with two very strong offerings as ‘Hope Against Hope’ finds Kevin as the father offering to always be there for his son even after he’s gone. The harmonies and Wilde’s gentle guitar fills are particularly effective here before ‘Fighting Irish’ finds our protagonist out on one of many Friday night benders as he seemingly struggles to deal with a form of PTSD. Ian Pearson’s violin steps up here adding a melancholy beauty to the defeated tone of Kevin’s vocal. It’s interesting to get Kevin’s thoughts on how his songs are interpreted “I’ve realised that the meaning of songs is in who hears them and over time those songs change and what the listener will take from them will change too. What a song is really about is not for me to define even if I’ve written it. That’s for someone else to decide for themselves”.
I’m pleased to report the quality of the songs, and their delivery continues on side two with the short and to the point, ‘Dark Days’ proving particularly effective at sounding desolate, while emphasising that living is preferable to the alternative. This feeling is further emphasised by ‘Enough Rope’ with the “Give me enough rope to swing, not to hang” refrain not pulling any punches. Kevin isn’t afraid to switch things up as evidenced by the abrasive ‘Cocaine’ which featuring some very bleak imagery delivered with a punky Pogues style intensity, “Give you a heart attack, wind up in a big black sack” is one of the less unsettling lines. The album concludes with the Dylanesque ‘Round in Circles’ where Kevin’s subdued delivery finds a perfect companion in Pearson’s mournful violin. Although I’m pleased to report the love of a good woman makes up for many things and eases the curve into a straight line.
It might have taken Kevin Hunt a long time to share his debut album with the world but good things always come to those who wait, or so we’ve always been told, and it would seem that old chestnut is indeed correct. If you’ve any love for a folky singer-songwriter, especially one with a strong Irish heritage, then ‘Devil’s Daughter’ should be high on your list to check out.
‘Devil’s Daughter’ is released digitally June 5th, 2020 with vinyl and CD available direct from Kevin via:
A new name to me, but based on the new EP, ‘Tigers in Your Backyard (Nocturnal Edition)’, Molly Murphy is one to watch. Initially, Molly embarked on a promising college career as a double Film and English Major pursuing a career in screenwriting but left all that behind to form a band (as you do). Murphy’s latest release finds the singer-songwriter adding a modern sheen to her traditional Celtic roots.