Search - Kieran Kane :: Blue Chair

Intelligent and Somber Songs About Love and Relationships

Ron Frankl | Hendersonville, NC | 12/01/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Blue Chair" is a real treat from Nashville-based singer/songwriter Kieran Kane. Kane was a member of the duo the O'Kanes (with Jamie O'Hara), a promising country team that split in the early '90's after only a few albums. He was one of the five musicians who set up the record company/musical collective known as Dead Reckoning Records, for whom he recorded two good but not great albums, and also shared the recent live release "11/12/13" with labelmate Kevin Welch.Kane's latest is a fine collection of intelligent and thought-provoking songs about love and relationships, and the pitfalls inherent to both. The consistency of the songs is impressive. Although the mood is somber throughout, each tune makes an impression that lasts. Kane is not blessed with a great voice, but it is more than adequate for these songs, and he achieves a sense of intimacy that adds to the power of the songwriting. This is by far Kane's finest work as a solo artist. Although his Nashville base often relegates him to the country music ghetto, fans of both rock and folk-oriented singer/songwriters will enjoy this as well."

Kane Is On Top Of His Game

john stinson | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | 08/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kieran Kane is one of those talents, like John Hiatt and Paul Brady, who is considered a songwriters' songwriter. Although this is meant to be a huge compliment it often relegates great acts to the discount bin in record stores because labels do not how to promote "Songwriters'Songwriters".Kane has produced a string of underrated country-folk records - first as a member of the O'Kanes and more recently as a solo artist - that are consistently above average. The Blue Chair may be his best work to date.The real strength of the Blue Chair isn't just in the expert songwriting craftsmanship displayed on these ten tunes; it lies in the fact that these songs are by an adult and for adults. Kane beautifully captures that sense of early middle-age romantic remorsefulness that finds grown-ups of a certain age both happy about where they are at and yet not quite ready to settle permanently in the rocking chair.From the opening words of "Honeymoon Wine" to the final chords of "Rosie's Gone" this record sparkles with with the complexities that are inherent in any real adult relationship. The content here isn't teeny bopper banal but is peppered with real adult emotions like lust and regret all wrapped in a package of hopeful pragmatism. The tunes may contain some sentimental moments but they are never mired in mere sentimentality.Kane pens most of the songs in this collection and those that he covers - "Love is Fair" and "Irish Heartbeat" - continue the album's theme of heartbreak and redemption and just happen to be penned by two excellent songwriters in their own right: Jesse Winchester and Van Morrison. Of the Kane-penned songs "Honeymoon Wine" stands out for its pure country simplicity; "I'm Sorry" for its honest lyric; "I'll Go On Loving You" for its wonderful ability to perfectly set a romantic mood that is entirely adult; and "Nous Sommes Les Memes" for its catchy, hook-laden repetition.If you like country-folk and you're a grown up, buy this record!"

Hanging onto the Honeymoon

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 01/16/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kieran Kane's solo work is amazing. His Atlantic CD in 1993, "Find My Way Home," was breathtakingly orignial as was 1995's "Dead Rekoning." To me, he seems more depressed than mellow with age on "Six Days No Sun" and his latest CD "The Blue Chair." If there's a fault for this CD, it's that there aren't enough peppy numbers. This is VERY mellow music, but certainly not schmaltzy. That said, I love this guy's work. "Honeymoon Wine" is a country soft shoe number about recapturing the romance with beautiful lounge-like piano. His vocals are charming on the loping melody penned by Jesse Winchester "Love Is Fair," "I wish that this was Hollywood where the bad guy's bad & the good guy's good." "Same Old Blues" is a slow tune where the drums rat-a-tat a hint of a military march as the lyric suggests a man stuck going over the same emotional terrain. A midtempo trot, "Four Questions," asks, "Who is she with? What is she doing? Where is she now? Why did she go?" Very effective! "I'm Sorry" is a slow number about a guy carrying a torch. "Tu Es Avec Moi" is a sweet little toe tapper with a great piano piece. In Kane's hands, Van Morrison's "Irish Heartbeat" becomes a midtempo shuffle, "The world's so cold, don't care nothing for your soul." This is an excellent song selection to cover. Kane does a slow simmering, highly romantic tune, "Long after the pleasures of the flesh, I'll go on loving you." "Nous Sommes Les Memes (We Are the Same)" is a midtempo romantic ballad. There's a hint of Spanish guitar on the remembrance, "Rosie's Gone." This is a CD you'll in enjoy in those quiet moments, hopefully in the arms of one you love. Hang onto the honeymoon!"