Thursday 20th October

Kevin Rowland is maybe the most intense of Artists.  He formed Dexys Midnight Runners (named after a drug) in the early eighties, and changed their direction constantly, even after a number one hit with “Come On Eileen”, sacking and recruiting members as the muse took him.  Anyway he abandoned the band after a few years and drifted into drugs and obscurity. He wrote and sung the theme tune to a TV comedy “Brush Strokes” but couldn’t seem to get it together enough to make a comeback.

Then out of the blue in the mid-nineties he released “My Beauty”.  It was a covers record, but with many of the words changed and neurotic interspersions of snatches of him talking to himself, reassuring words that he was alright.  To make matters worse he insisted on dressing on the cover as a woman.  Or not exactly, no makeup or wig but stockings and a dress worn off the shoulders and hoiked up to show his knickers, and on his ‘comeback’ concerts he carried on wearing dresses.  Well, the music press had a field day and he was written off as just another loser.  But I bought the record anyway.  And it is brilliant, unconventional in places though the arrangements are pretty standard, it is Kevin’s voice that stands out and his emotional connection to the collection of what must be some of his favourite records is amazing.  One of the differences between ‘rock’ singing and classical is the emotional connection in the voice which can connect with the listener in powerful ways.  Examples such as Dylan and Cohen; reputedly bad singers but who somehow make the words seem all too real, and I for one prefer to listen to these emotionally connected but maybe not so note-perfect renditions.  Kevin sings with such feeling, especially on songs like ‘Labelled With Love’ where he changes the subject from alcohol to cocaine addiction, a subject he was all too familiar with.  I never tire of this album, and it can only be the voice which keeps me coming back for more.  Anyway the album failed miserably, but a few years later Kevin resurrected Dexys and has had some sort of a comeback.  His latest record which I haven’t bought yet is full of old Irish songs.  On one of the free samplers I got with Uncut is Kevin’s version of ‘Curragh of Kildare’, an old Irish love song – and again it is wonderful and full of emotion, and yes reassuring mumbling to himself – but I love it.