Search - Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch :: 11/12/13: Live From Melbourne Australia

Fine, fine Mythologists

B. Holder | Cedar Crest, NM United States | 08/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch are two of the finest -- well, "singer-songwriters" is much-too-ordinary a term for these two, so I'll have to borrow a phrase from Carter & Grammer, who claim to play "postmodern mythic American music" -- two of the finest mythologists making American music today.They are two of the members of the renegade Dead Reckoners collective in Nashville who are dedicated to singing "country music" their way, which does not sound much like Music Row. On this CD, recorded live last autumn in Melbourne, each man takes a turn singing a song, then accompanying the other. None of the songs here are new to people who already know their repetiore, but then, I don't have to preach to the choir.Kevin is the one with the Oklahoma accent (gen-u-ine). Here he sings "Something 'Bout You" and "While I Was Loving You", up-tempo love tunes that he wrote, and also John Hyatt's "Train To Birmingham" (see if you don't get goosebumps while listening). His own songs "Some Kind of Paradise" and "Wilson's Tracks" are story songs with "edge". I'm very up on Kevin Welch's music. He has the trinity of qualities that make for a lasting musical performer -- great voice, great guitar and GREAT songs.Kieran, who was half of "The O'Kane's" band some years back, covers his own song (John Prine did the "famous" version) of "In A Town This Size", and does an impressive version of Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man".They like to joke that together they are a lot like Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin. That's not true. But it's funny.The notable thing about this CD project is that while it sounds LIVE -- you hear Kevin clear his throat, for instance, and you hear them talk off-mic to the crowd -- it SOUNDS GREAT. No mud, no screeching, no boomyness.I'm pretty sure if you buy this CD, you will want Welch & Kane's whole catalog. I know I do."

Plain good stuff!

B. Holder | 08/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I have to say I am much more familiar with Kevin Welch's material than I am Kieran Kane's, but suffice it to say they work very well together in this bare-bones live acoustic setting that took place in November 12th and 13th of last year (1999) in Australia. It's two singer/songwriters who display their hearts and souls to the listener. It all comes up trumps, because it's all played with NO pretension and NO gimmickry. It's two guys, their guitars and their songs. I particularly like Kevin's "Something About You", "Life Down Here On Earth", the amazing story-telling of "Some Kind Of Paradise" and the fantastic reading of John Hiatt's "Train To Birmingham." Among Kieran's, I like "Eight More Miles", "If I Could Be There", and, especially "When We're Gone, Long Gone." I wish Kevin had played something from his most recent album, "Beneath My Wheels", but I can't complain too much. This is really good stuff, especially in an age of OVERproduction and studio wizardry it's VERY NICE to hear what's really most important anyway: it's what it always comes down to in the end: the SONGS! ......and well, these guys get it done right. So, enough's enough! What are you waiting for? Dig in everyone........"

A record is for the people who couldn't be there.

Amy Beth Hale | Nashville, TN USA | 09/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That quote is from the, well, let's call them liner notes of this CD. It really fits this CD well, this quote, because you feel like you are there. Experiencing every song and every breath with these two fabulously talented singer-songwriters. From "Something 'Bout You" to "When We're Gone, Long Gone" and every song in between, this CD shows the talent of these two. Kevin's rendition of the John Hiatt song "Train to Birmingham" may well be my favorite on this disc but every song is delivered perfectly. This album is ideal for savvy Americana fans as well as fans of those "writers nights" experienced in a listening room in Nashville. It showcases not only their songwriting skills but also their ability to deliver a stunning and meaningful performance as an artist. This album is truly simple in some ways but terribly complex in others and to write a review of such an album is a diffcult feat."