Dermot Kennedy - Sonder review

It’s safe to say that Dermot Kennedy is the golden boy of Irish music right now. The Rathcoole man has reached that unique juncture of his career where everything is going right; even if his second album was completely dreadful, he would continue to sell out gigs globally.

Luckily for Kennedy and his fans, that’s not quite the case. The former Grafton Street busker, who has managed to conquer the USA despite the small matter of a pandemic hindering his reach over the last few years, is back with another record of solid emotional pop songs that run the gamut from heartache to cautious optimism. As likable as much of Kennedy’s output has been in the past, however, there is a sense that he has the tendency to take himself a little too seriously as a “recording artiste” at times. Take the title of his second studio album, for example: no, it’s not a misspelling of Dublin slang for a very nice person, but rather “the realisation that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own”.

Neither his musical nor his lyrical themes have developed in any groundbreaking manner since his 2018 debut Without Fear: expect to hear the words “heart”, “love” and “dream” repeatedly, as well as lyrics like “‘I’ve seen stars reborn in your eyes” as standard. Kennedy’s saving grace is that he keeps his wallowing reasonably succinct, at least; only one song, the heartache-saturated Innocence and Sadness, passes the four-minute mark. Still, there is plenty to like; Auto-tuned opener Any Love, the soulful, beat-driven pop of the pacy Something to Somebody, the solemnly-delivered rousing anthem Better Days are all reliable, while the slick midtempo strut of Divide is guaranteed to become a future crowd favourite. All too often, however, Kennedy squanders his swarthy, powerful voice with lyrics that sag and falter; the tremulous piano balladry of Dreamer is convincing until it gives way to clunky imagery and cliched tropes, while the glossy production of Kiss Me could be by any X Factor has-been.

[ Dermot Kennedy: ‘I won’t let anyone take advantage of me or my music’ ]

All of this will matter little to Kennedy’s established fan base, but it comes across as a missed opportunity to prove his worth as a songwriter with original ideas rather than a one-trick pony. Kennedy may have pitched an album with a highfalutin title and concept, but he might as well have called it ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ It will sell millions, regardless.