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Irene Kelly | Simple Path

A powerful record with intelligent lyrics and gorgeous vocals.
CD, Relentless Nashville

Tekst: Maurice Dielemans

Publicatiedatum: 13 oktober 2002

“... Let me dream a peaceful dream and walk a simple path.
A step at a time – not over the line,
straight ahead and never looking back.”

It’s quiet except from the clear sound of raindrops falling against the window and a heartbreak song on the radio. The sweet, young voice on the crackling radio sings a lonesome tune about Mexico.

This setting isn’t actually true, because it’s another dreadful Saturday evening and they play an awful song from Michael Bolton on the radio instead of Irene Kelly. It’s not even raining. But I’m not fantasising when I’m writing that Irene Kelly’s Simple Path is a powerful album of pure and emotional beauty from the beginning to the end. The sparse folk and country-tinged cuts hide that Irene Kelly used to play in a Led Zeppelin cover band, but she got kicked out for suggesting that they should do a Dolly Parton song. She now writes her own songs. Trisha Yearwood and Loretta Lynn have recorded some of her beautiful songs.

There is obvious a clear similarity between her and the music from Gillian Welch and Iris DeMent, but she definitely finds her own way on Simple Path. And this path may be simple, but it’s also an old and creepy path. The Carter Family, The Louvin Brothers, Jimmie ‘singing brakeman’ Rodgers and the Kossoy Sisters, all of them followed the same path. Irene’s music doesn’t have that creepiness of the Kossoy Sisters' singing, but when Irene Kelly sings it is as if you can hear the silence speaking to you.

In a few words Simple Path can be described as a powerful record with intelligent lyrics and gorgeous vocals.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/irene-kelly/simple-path/1949/
Meer Irene Kelly op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/irene-kelly