As a lyricist Paul Dempsey is a poet. His melodies stamp
themselves on your brain like the best songs should, and do. His
voice is distinctive and evolving with every record. Paul Dempsey
makes music you never ever tire of, because it's almost impossible
to exhaust their offerings. When I heard the Something For Kate
spearhead was making a solo album I was almost angry with him, giving
learnt what he's put the band through over the years to arrive at
the music Something For Kate have made together. No-one could wish
for a band more supportive and indulgent. How could he do this to
them? Then I heard the record and I understood that this is a record
Paul could create without forcing SFK to be something else. I understood
that their singer and lyricist understands what his band is and
can still be, and this solo album respects that. Not that there
aren't SFK-ish moments, of course. This isn't a giant leap into
something totally different. The differences are subtle, but significant.
The bluesy acoustic Lennon-esque closing song 'Man Of the Moment'
is unimaginable in the SFK repertoire. Always an intense emotion-charged
post-punk grunge era singer Paul Dempsey found new things for his
voice on SFK's fifth studio album, 'Desert Lights', more up front,
comfortable with itself, more soulful. 'Everything Is True' builds
on that. Paul plays most of the instruments himself and has enlisted
the aid of a producer famous for his pop sensibilities, Wayne Connelly.
It's a winning combination. Paul has always written songs that you
want to sing along to, but like Augie March's Glenn Richards, Paul's
words don't let you just skim over them karaoke style without leaving
an impression. The meaning of his songs are almost unfathomable.
If I say to you this song is about that and that song is about this,
it will only be my interpretation, and only part of the story, because
each line, each succession of lines has its meaning. If I say to
you this is what Paul's thinking I won't be acknowledging my own
thoughts that the words have triggered. The better he gets at his
craft, the melodies, the execution of performance, the richer and
deeper the layers of his songs. That's where we find ourselves with
'Everything Is True'. Here and there the lines reveal that these
songs are very personal, confessional, but don't expect the songs
to say 'This is what happened. This is how I feel'. It's not that
easy. You have to play your part in the experience. And that's the
joy.
As a lyricist Paul Dempsey is a poet. His melodies stamp
themselves on your brain like the best songs should, and do. His
voice is distinctive and evolving with every record. Paul Dempsey
makes music you never ever tire of, because it's almost impossible
to exhaust their offerings. When I heard the Something For Kate
spearhead was making a solo album I was almost angry with him, giving
learnt what he's put the band through over the years to arrive at
the music Something For Kate have made together. No-one could wish
for a band more supportive and indulgent. How could he do this to
them? Then I heard the record and I understood that this is a record
Paul could create without forcing SFK to be something else. I understood
that their singer and lyricist understands what his band is and
can still be, and this solo album respects that. Not that there
aren't SFK-ish moments, of course. This isn't a giant leap into
something totally different. The differences are subtle, but significant.
The bluesy acoustic Lennon-esque closing song 'Man Of the Moment'
is unimaginable in the SFK repertoire. Always an intense emotion-charged
post-punk grunge era singer Paul Dempsey found new things for his
voice on SFK's fifth studio album, 'Desert Lights', more up front,
comfortable with itself, more soulful. 'Everything Is True' builds
on that. Paul plays most of the instruments himself and has enlisted
the aid of a producer famous for his pop sensibilities, Wayne Connelly.
It's a winning combination. Paul has always written songs that you
want to sing along to, but like Augie March's Glenn Richards, Paul's
words don't let you just skim over them karaoke style without leaving
an impression. The meaning of his songs are almost unfathomable.
If I say to you this song is about that and that song is about this,
it will only be my interpretation, and only part of the story, because
each line, each succession of lines has its meaning. If I say to
you this is what Paul's thinking I won't be acknowledging my own
thoughts that the words have triggered. The better he gets at his
craft, the melodies, the execution of performance, the richer and
deeper the layers of his songs. That's where we find ourselves with
'Everything Is True'. Here and there the lines reveal that these
songs are very personal, confessional, but don't expect the songs
to say 'This is what happened. This is how I feel'. It's not that
easy. You have to play your part in the experience. And that's the
joy.