It’s Monday 14th October and I have a confession to make.
My name is Niall Quinn and I’m a Dermot Kennedy megafan. Which is why, as I sit and type this with the sound of everyone’s favourite Irish crooner washing around me, I am also an extremely happy man.
After all, why wouldn’t I be? The album I have been waiting for with bated breath has finally landed and it’s better than anything I could have ever imagined. I’m talking, of course, about Dermot Kennedy’s debut long-player, Without Fear. It’s a genuinely stunning body of work that’s filled with the highs and lows of love and life, from first note to last. I’ve listened to almost nothing but this album for the past week since it dropped; so, as One on One’s resident authority on all things Dermot, I decided to put a little bit of thought into ranking the album’s thirteen tracks from ‘not-an-album-highlight-but-still-bloody-good’ to ‘God-like’.
#13 – Power Over Me
Considering that it has over 100 million Spotify streams at the time of writing, this might be a potentially controversial call for my least favourite track from the album; but this just feels the least Dermot to me. That’s not to say that it’s a bad song, though. It is a proper, anthemic banger that’s ready to be screamed loud by fans all over the world on his upcoming tour – and, it brought DK to the masses, for which I will be forever grateful. To say that it’s my least favourite on the album just proves the strength of the project as a whole.
#12 – Outnumbered
Again, a strange call considering that Outnumbered netted Dermot his first ever UK top 10 single this week – but, I stand by it. It’s a beautiful song to show someone – be that a family member, a friend, or a special someone – that you are still there no matter how far apart you currently physically are.
#11 – What Have I Done
The first completely new song on the record if you listen in order – which you should. It feels very much like a classic Dermot song, starting with a strong piano and powerful vocal – in fact, this track probably showcases the pure grit and soul in his voice as well as any other song on the album. My favourite part of the track is the marching band-esque drums that come in around halfway through and power this song home. I can definitely see this song soundtracking first dances for years and years to come. (And, between you and me, it’s already getting very difficult to place these songs. Gulp.)
#10 – Outgrown
I was praying for a song like this on the record – but, for me, this doesn’t quite hit the high expectations I had in my own head. It’s still an outrageously amazing track, though. It feels like it could explode into a full-on rap verse at any given moment, and gives me the same sort of vibe as the Untitled/Malay/Stockholm track that has been in Dermot’s live set for around 18 months: in fact, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see the two come together on the upcoming tour…
#9 – Moments Passed
The first real, full production hip-hop song that was released by Dermot around 2 years ago. There is a beautiful juxtaposition of big beats and tender guitar lines – which, combined with his characteristic powerful voice, makes for a track that may well take you by surprise.
Personally, I love the mysterious mash of vocals that are peppered throughout the track and show the diversity of Dermot as both an artist and as a fan of music himself. The metaphor of love being the wind is one that sticks with me, and that although “it can hold me up and kill me in the end” it is better having a life with love than without. Tells a beautiful story of a love lost too soon, too, which resonates throughout the album.
#8 – Rome
Self-proclaimed as a song to pay tribute to his acoustic roots and the influences of Glen Hansard and David Gray, this song will strike a chord with every single person listening. Arriving with possibly the most vivid imagery on the record, you can feel the beauty of the time he discusses just from listening and could easily place yourself in his shoes. The “run around infinite in my head” lyric has been doing just that to fans since he teased the song on Instagram; and thankfully, the final version does it justice and then some.
#7 – The Corner
A welcome calm moment halfway through the record, especially after the upbeat tempo of the preceding track, Moments Passed. The stripped introduction of a plucked acoustic guitar and tender vocals provide the perfect opening to this calming and reassuring song. The synth instrumental is one of my favourite parts of the record – especially when it fades back to a singular vocal track and an acoustic guitar – and this for me shows both the duality of Dermot’s music and that he hasn’t forgotten his roots in acoustic folk music.
#6 – Dancing Under Red Skies
Potentially one of the oldest songs on the record, Dancing Under Red Skies first came about during Dermot’s time with Shadows and Dust (ft. Micheál Quinn on drums). This has been a mainstay of the live set for quite some time, but the strings layered onto on the studio version add an extra something to this song. It is so hard to describe this song and the beauty within it, but put it on during a dark, rainy night and just float away with it.
#5 – All My Friends
It’s Top 5 time! Let’s kick off with one of the two reworked versions of previously released songs that feature on Without Fear. The rework doesn’t lose any of the intimacy of the original – in fact, the extra backing vocals on top of the original rolling piano line are wonderful, and add something new to this song that ensures that I keep coming back to listen almost 2 and a half years since its original release. It’s a song that’s often forgotten about in favour of the album’s bigger, more radio-friendly songs; but when it comes on, you’ll want to scream every word.
#4 – Lost
Lost will forever hold a special place in my heart and maybe that’s why I’ve placed it so high on this list. But, hey, I can do what I want – it’s my list! About 18 months ago, Dermot posted a video of the opening verse and bridge on piano and I was hooked from there. I would revisit that song daily and couldn’t wait for an official release. Thankfully, the fully produced version takes nothing away from the raw beauty of this initial snippet and the lyrics to this song will ink the skin of fans all over the world. If you haven’t checked out the music video for this one yet, you should really get to that – it’s particularly stunning.
#3 – An Evening I Will Not Forget
Seeing as the original acoustic version of An Evening… came out almost 4 years ago as Dermot’s first-ever release, it’s only fitting that it opens the album. Since 2015, the song has been updated twice, first with a mash-up with “Furthest Thing” by Drake and now with the more hip-hop infused album version. For my money, the new additions are an improvement – the new drums, for one, give a new punch and drive to the song and will make this an absolute mammoth of a song when played live.
#2 – Redemption
It was almost if Dermot knew that we were going to need some cheering up by the time we got this deep into the album. From the moment that the opening of triumphant horns and accompanying drums sets the scene for this pure love song, it’s clear that Redemption is certainly the most hopeful, carefree song on a record that tends to dip more towards darkness than it does to hope. I love the mix of the almost pop production with the acoustic guitar, especially in the final pre-chorus when it is all stripped back to just Dermot and the guitar. Admittedly, it’s arguably not the best lyrically, but the way it makes you feel is unparalleled – at the end of the day, isn’t that what music is all about?
#1 – Without Fear
The last track, the title track and my favourite track. I listened to an acoustic version of this song on YouTube years ago and never imagined that it would even come out, let alone become my all-time favourite song. In fact, on my first listen through, I kind of forgot that this song was on the album at all. But, when I settled in for some proper listening later that night, I looped this song, put on the acoustic video and had a moment to appreciate how far this man has come.
4 years ago, he had the voice and he had the songwriting abilities. This album could have come out then and still been as masterful. But, he held off, lived some more, and built more experiences, and the album is better for it. This track sums that period up.
Its roots lie as an acoustic song, but it’s been produced into this thing of beauty.
The strings make it for me; the tension and depth they add make this track feel like it belongs as a Bond theme tune. Honestly? The album could have consisted of this track looped 13 times and I would come away still feeling the same mix of emotions that 13 different tracks give to me.
The fairy woodland-esque melody that accompanies “I wonder if this will all work out” to the final two lines of the album which make you want to scream at the top of your lungs at those you care for. The fact this comes at the end leaves you time to sit and think about everything you’ve just heard, until you put it back to the start to listen to it all again. I could write an entire essay on this song alone, but no words would ever do it justice.
If anyone you know is on the fence about Dermot Kennedy, send them this song and wait for them to fall in love with it.