KEV BOYLE
PALESTINE GROVE
BSM CD 002
KEV BOYLE
PALESTINE GROVE
BSM CD 002
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We are delighted
to announce our release of this fine recording.
KEV BOYLE
PALESTINE GROVE
BSM CD 002
with
Gerry Diver: guitars, Violin, Mandolin, banjo, kkeyboards, drums, whistles.
Lucy Boyle: Vocals
Martin O'Leary: bass guitar
Paul Brennan: Uilleann pipes.
"this consistently intriguing album".
David Kidman
"Kevin's voice is suited to both
traditional music and the more earthy sounds of say a Tom Waits. Both voices
can be heard on this new album. However it is the songs themselves that deserve
your attention. Kevin's modest manner belies a highly committed individual.
Full of ideas and ideals, his songs by turn are quirky, challenging, musically
mature and catchy.
This is an album to be listened to more than once to get the drift of this very
special writer and performer" Ralph McTell 7.09
Kevin Boyle follows up his cult classic of 1997 Bon Cabbage with his latest statement of intent, Palestine Grove named after the recording studio of master producer and multi instrumentalist, Gerry Diver.
For many years
the Boyle family have been the mainstay of the brilliant London Irish music
scene. Driven on by their father Paddy they studied the traditional music of
his native Donegal. Kevin became a multi instrumentalist, his sister Maggie
the flute and bodrhan and using her brilliant voice to adorn many's a great
song. Younger brother Paul was a brilliant young fiddler until his very sad
passing. Kevin carved a great reputation as a musical accompanist firstly on
piano and then guitar. He started at the top by accompanying the fiddle maestro
Sean Maguire on piano when 16 years old. Kevin has mastered this art and is
most sought after accompanist in London, bringing comparisons with the mighty
Paul Brady.
He became a regular at The Favourite and The legendary White Hart, Fulham Broadway
playing with Raymond Roland and Liam Farrell and seat once filled by the ample
rear of Christy Moore. He was the driving force behind the super group Le Cheile
which featured several musical heavies who regularly played in The White Hart
. They released two classic & much sought after LPs, Lord Mayo and Aris.
They built up a mercurial reputation for fiery Irish music. Later Kevin was
a founder member of Carrig, an outfit which produced one LP. Kev has recorded
with Maguire, Seamus Tansey and Ralph McTell who much admires Kev's work. The
Boyel family Kev also did some playing for The Ballet Rambert's production of
Sergeant Early's Dream.
For while The Boyle Family were residents at Hammersmith's Riverside Studios where they made many friends among the artistic community including on one memorable occasion Irish playwright and whistle player, Samuel Beckett.
As one who has
played a lot with Kevin, he has a priceless ability to make everybody sound
good.
This pervades his music and now his songwriting, his love of his fellow man
and his care for the future as the father of daughters. In recent years he has
thrown himself into the current affairs and delved deeply into the shadowy parts
of politics and their masters. This surfaces on many of the songs on Palestine
Grove which attacks the trivia obsessed press of 2009. His Randy Newmansque
Death of Martin Isreal. Kevin also has a whimsical side, which we enjoy greatly
at Coppeprlate ably demonstrated on Blue Sky Blue and Sunny Little Avenue his
take on domestic utopia in Norwood. And Bon Cabbage in Catford.
These days Kev
plays regularly with fiddle master and composer, Brendan McGlinchey, also a
regular member of Give Me Your Hand a loose collection of session players much
favoured by Guy Ritchie and his ex! But he is just as likely to turn up at your
local session with guitars and banjo and quietly sit in.
Please check Kev's web site for regular exciting updates. www.kevboyle.com
Sheffield Irish Festival 27.03.2010
THE 2010 Sheffield Irish festival is all set to end on a high note with performance
by London-based singer- songwriter Kevin Boyle, who will be accompanied at St
Vincents CMS Club on Saturday night by former Pogue and All-Ireland champion
accordionist Michael O'Connell. Tickets for the event, which begins at 7.30
pm, cost £5 (£3 concessions).
Press
Reviews
Kev
Boyle
***
Palestine Grove BLUE SKY MUSIC
His
gruff voice can make Tom Waits sound like a choirboy and his maverick songs
dart erratically between the anger of the title track, moving narratives, charged
anthems, adapted traditional tunes and a knockabout return to one of his best-loved
songs Bon Cabbage, but this London Irish stalwart could be the British Isles'
answer to Tom Russell. Outstanding multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver helps smooth
the edges on an album brimming with character. Colin
Irwin
R2
Rock 'n' Reel * * * Sept/Oct.09
When someone of
Ralph McTell's stature tells you that Kev Boyle's songs deserve your attention,
you listen. A kingpin of the London Irish music scene, Boyle's been a little
slow in following his cult 1997 classic, Bon Cabbage, but it's been worth the
wait.
Palestine Grove is a model of perceptive songwriting that radiates compassion
for humanity and shimmers with a pure spirituality, nowhere more so than on
The Walls Of Eden' where'... earth is just and man is free/And every living
soul can see/There are no walls in Eden'.
And then there's lines On The Death Of Martin Israel', a paen to the pathologist,
former lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons and a priest in the Church
of England who passed away
in 2007. Or 'Big Blue Train', a contemporary take on 'This Train Is Bound For
Glory' where'... the age that is awaiting/Might not be the one you see/For when
Jesus comes the demon runs/And from the body flees'.
Boyle is a throwback to when the song offered hope in a cruel world. The same
crusade indeed that McTell's been on for close on five decades. David
Burke
Fatea
Magazine
Kev Boyle strikes me as a complex man with a raging spirit. I get the feeling
that had he been born to another generation he would have become a renown poet
or author, but he was born to a generation where music joined those words and
his muse delivers songs. It's a muse with a wicked sense of the world, because
whilst all the words come from within, some of the tunes are borrowed, but you
can't fault the genius of doing a song called "Liar" to the tune of
"The Battle Hymn Of The Republic". "Palestine Grove" can
be gritty, spiritual, emotional, it can't be ignored.
The
Irish World
London-Irishman
Kev Boyle was the man behind Bon Cabbage, a cult classic of 1997 vintage, and
now he’s back to make another statement with new release ‘Palestine
Grove’.
Music, as the man says, is a great form of therapy. Surrounded by the sounds of traditional music from children, he has been a mainstay in the London Irish traditional scene for many years and was a founding member of the legendary Le Cheile.
Boyle began recording ‘Palestine Grove’ at weekends in 2008, in ‘The Tunehouse’, studio of talented multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver. As a result, Drever can be heard on nearly every track on the album. Martin O’Leary’s bass makes an appearance in a few tracks, and Boyle’s daughter Lucy was roped into contributing harmonies to four songs.
The gravely, well-travelled and atmospheric voice that fans of Boyle will be all to familiar with is one that brings real tangibility and passion to each song, and also lends them a rough, Dylan-esque quality that works on both traditional and non-traditional tracks
Boyle also plays guitar and piano, and his fine group of fellow-musicians add faultless layers to a smoothly produced and eclectic set of songs, ranging from the light and upbeat (‘Sunny Little Avenue’ and ‘So Summertime’) to the slow and rousing. Boyle’s voice, of course, is not the only striking about this album, it’s the lyrics too.
‘Palestine Grove’ is the loving work of a man with a talent, not only for music but songwriting. He writes about the search for our soul, how we should treat our fellow humans. Each song is a little source of joy on this album, but Lines on The Death of Martin Israel’ took me to a special place; beautiful tune, beautiful lyrics.
‘Come All You’, a paean to youth and avoiding its trap-falls, is another quietly gorgeous track urging us to never stop dreaming; ‘Liar’ takes the listener into bluesy territory as we are drawn into the lonely world of an alcoholic, while the title track is a traditional number whose lethargic pace belies the unflinching message of the lyrics: “”We keep our peace and get on with our little lives/Abd close our minds and hide our eyes..”
From toe-tapping
fun to heart-wrenching message, this album has all the hues of an album that
grows on you the more you hear it, and which the listener will go back to time
and time again; full of strong yet well-balanced musicianship and, often, moments
of pure poetry. Shelley Marsden
WWW.NETRHYTHMS.COM
The Boyle
family from Donegal have for many years been mainstays of the London-Irish folk
music scene, latterly embracing residencies at Hammersmith’s Riverside
Studios and even playing for
Ballet Rambert’s production Sergeant Early’s Dream. Throughout the
60s and 70s, father figure Paddy had inspired and encouraged his three children
Kevin, Maggie and Paul, nurturing their undoubted musical talents. Paul (who
sadly was to die young) was by all accounts a brilliant fiddler, and Maggie,
whom we know from her many wonderful ventures including harmony trio Grace Notes,
is one of the country’s finest singers and a flautist and bodhrán
player of no mean stature.
Kevin, on the other
hand, is a multi-instrumentalist who carved an early reputation as skilled (piano)
accompanist for fiddle maestro Sean Maguire, moving on to become the driving
force behind the fiery supergroup Le Cheile which was built around the talented
musical regulars at Fulham’s White Hart. But I first encountered Kev’s
music over ten years ago in quite another context, on his very unusual CD Bon
Cabbage, which was (less than helpfully) credited to Movies CB (the initials
somewhat perversely standing for Ceili Band, which the contents of the CD itself
most definitely did not reflect…). That album was a collection of original
songs written by Kevin himself, defiantly idiosyncratic in character, which
took a wry slant on aspects of London life. On that album, Kevin’s voice
was backed by a host of other excellent musicians; but on his long-awaited followup
record, Palestine Grove, the majority of the backing is provided by the album’s
producer/engineer, that remarkable multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver, the address
of whose Wimbledon studio where it was recorded gives the collection its name.
So, although (aside from Kev himself, and uillean piper Paul Brennan guesting
on one track) the new record’s personnel are almost entirely different,
its dominant presence is still – as it should be – formed by Kev’s
ultra-distinctive singing voice, a voice that gives
shape and personality to the engagingly quirky character of his songwriting.
His gruff, growling, gravelly timbre is something really special, and will appeal
to anyone who appreciates the singing of Tom Waits, but there’s an added
fire in Kev’s full-bodied delivery, a rich and powerful passion that pervades
his very being and breathes the lyrics right into the listener’s soul –
a quite extraordinary achievement.
Kev’s writing
has a combination of deep humanity and sardonic sideways humour that at times
put me in mind of Michael Marra perhaps, although Kev’s messages, while
every bit as thought-provoking and intrinsically truthful, are arguably less
obscurelY expressed. The commanding authority of Kev’s voice certainly
constitutes a binding thread for the dozen almost maddeningly diverse songs
presented here: there’s a dark, poignant beauty in The Walls Of Eden and
Lines On The Death Of Martin Israel, whereas the title song is a cri-de-cœur
from us helpless individuals, a rather savage indictment of those in control
of our destinies. On the other hand, O We Who Dream With England movingly counterpoints
Kev’s poet’s address with a paraphrase of the tune better known
as Dives And Lazarus. The latter is one of four songs (not quite correctly identified
on the booklet credits, by the way) which capably utilise individual melodies
from traditional folk songs
(well, maybe I’m not quite so convinced about The Blue And The Gray, but
this may be due to inevitable associations impinging too vividly from the tune
used). On the lighter, almost playful side, there’s contrast from the rollicking
Big Blue Train, the breezy cartoon-style gallop of Sunny Little Avenue and the
jaunty 60s-holiday-twang of So Summertime. And Kev brings back the old
Beefheartian gambit of putting the previous album’s would-have-been-title-track
(ie. Bon Cabbage) onto album number two – and it turns out to be one of
those gloriously eccentric concoctions that wouldn’t have sounded out of
place on a Strangelies album.
All in all, Kev’s
songs hit home so successfully with their companionable simplicity of expression
that the sometimes almost inordinately busy instrumental settings – though
delightful in their own
right – can distract just a little with their plethora of skittery, clattery
percussion and occasionally cluttered (albeit brightly, cleanly recorded) textures.
But the other way of looking at it is that there’s such a degree of genuine
creativity and invention here, whether in the settings or performances or in
Kev’s vital lyrics, that you’ll never get bored and most likely gain
an enormous amount of pleasure and stimulation from many successive playthroughs
of this consistently intriguing album. David Kidman
FolkWords.com
Some songs find life in the music, some live through the voice. It’s true
to say that Kev Boyle’s unique voice breathes life into the songs he writes.
There is power, presence and passion in his delivery and it’s enough to
capture your soul in a few words. Could anyone ask for more?
That distinctive vocal is the key feature of ‘Palestine Grove’ - the
new album from Kev Boyle. Sure the musicianship is scintillating, the production
faultless and the lyrics piercing but it’s that voice that gives them all
a reason to come together. On the album with Kev Boyle (vocals, guitar and piano)
there’s the unquestionable skills and talent of multi-instrumentalist Gerry
Diver (electric, acoustic, pedal, steel guitars, violin, mandolin, banjo, keyboards,
autoharp, drums, whistle washboard and spoons). He’s also joined by Lucy
Boyle (vocals) Martin O’Leary (bass guitar).
Tough though it is to select favourite songs (because there is a diversity of exceptional songs to enjoy) there are rare riches to discover. They flow effortlessly between the light and airy through soft and gentle to the deep and moving.
The album opens with ‘Blue Sky Blue’ and immediately you’re into the depth and authority of his voice. ‘O We Who Dream With England’ is a commanding piece of poetry made all the more poignant by Kev’s vocal delivery – soft and full bodied as a fine malt – and with just the right touches from Gerry and Martin. ‘Lines on The Death of Martin Israel’ is quite simply a beautiful song, beautifully sung – no more to say. ‘The Walls of Eden’ is Kev writing at his best, touching your heart and soul, with Paul Brennan (uilleann pipes). Take a little extra time to let this one pour over you and it will be with you forever. ‘Big Blue Train’ by contrast bounces along with mandolin, fiddle and great background vocals to become an infectious toe-tapper. ‘Palestine Road’ itself is another song to make you think and the message comes across clear and true
This is an album
to listen to when it’s quiet and you have time on your hands. This is not
for ‘in car entertainment’ because driving and listening could not
possibly do justice to the effort that’s gone into creating this album.
And what’s more you’ll probably be committing a heinous crime. Tim
Carroll