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Taking the title of his latest record from a book by the same
name written by Sean O' Callaghan about the Irish slave
trade in the Caribbean is a big step for Damien Dempsey…
It is not that Dempsey has never tackled political or spiritual
issues head-on before, but that the record is immediately set
up as a bit of a downer. These songs are weighty from the get-go,
but there is an overwhelming sense of profound hope buried within
the music. In a sense, To Hell Or Barbados perfectly embodies
the true Irish spirit.
Dempsey's work has always been a bit larger than his contemporaries'
and on his latest release he continues to write anthemic and beautiful
songs and imbues them with a deep sense of self. The searching
and ever-present hope of the Irish spirit lives in his music now
as it always has, a darkly abiding longing for that which was
lost and longs to be found again. All great Irish music has this
ken, and Dempsey proves once more that his affinity is in-line
with this spirit. The opening lines of the first track on the
record "Maasai" set up the remainder of the record as
Dempsey's brilliant voice howls, "When I Die/ I want to die,
not in a house built for the unknown/ But by the hand of a Maasai/
When I sing, I want to sing/ Sing like a lark as dawn beats the
dark/ And let sweet melody set me free." Even amongst the
dark depth of these haunting songs and their tales of terror and
the terrible things wrought upon the Irish ancestors there is
an overwhelming feeling of hope. "Chase The Light" is
filled with Uillean pipes and a very strong Irish sound - tricked
out with a false sense of hope - before the upbeat Caribbean sound
of "Your Pretty Smile" lightens the mood of the record
and gives reprieve from the tales of loss and despair. Damien
stretches a bit more on the almost rapping rants of "Serious",
a song that moves from a driving rhythmic storm to a lightly orchestrated
pop song before once more falling prey to the catchy Caribbean
sounds of "Teachers". Things get a little coolly strange
in a King Crimson/Peter Gabriel kind of way on the
title track and the prog-heavy island groove of "The City".
To Hell Or Barbados finds Dempsey reaching out his arms
to encompass a world of music, with songs ranging from a lilting
Reggae beat to a deeply-rooted traditional Irish row. The songs
are poetic and lush, ably telling the stories of his ancestors
and their tribulations, and hopes, and of those dark years of
Cromwell's England. The tales that he weaves are thick with history
and an honest searching; perhaps Damien is finding his own peace
in the trials of his forebears as we can all find a bit of ours
in his.
-Embo Blake
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