There was a time when it seemed Brian Kennedy strived for a form of credibility that comes from peer pressure and certain irate, silly sections of the rock media. Judging by his performance at the weekend, he seems to have jettisoned all attempts at pleasing either and has grown into a fully fledged quasi-cabaret performer.
For someone so young, he appeals to a largely older female audience, convincing on the mammy ticket, but less so as the years are counted down. He'd possibly think it insulting (although no insult is meant) to be referred to in the same breath as Daniel O'Donnell, but there it is: a man with a clean-cut, ever-so-risquΘ, double-entendre-driven sex appeal, playing material that is largely as safe as rock-solid houses.
The irony is that Kennedy's material (unlike, for example, O'Donnell's) is, despite its musical soft centre, occasionally brilliant.
Lyrically, he can hit the mark with a potent mixture of poignancy and honesty. His voice is superb, and when he sings familiar songs, such as Life, Love And Happiness and By The Mountain Road, along with unfamiliar ones, such as Christopher Street and New York (which had the woman beside me in tears), he transcends his smirky, knowing cabaret shtick and comes across as someone who could have useful things to say in his music, were he so inclined.
Too often, though, Kennedy allows his audience to dictate, goading them on with another camp pelvic thrust, undercutting any hope of artistic vision. If it's intentional, then it's a clever commercial move. If it's not, then something has gone dreadfully wrong.
Brian Kennedy plays Cork on October 9th, Galway on October 10th and Limerick on October 11th. He returns to the Olympia on November 8th, 9th and 10th
