Kevin Meehan – Spanish Point
Self Released – Out Now
To a geologist, Spanish Point is a remarkable part of Co. Clare. And, I must confess, my interest in this album initially sprung from having spent several days one summer, thoroughly bemused and bewildered by the rocks I found there. Thankfully, Kevin Meehan’s album, while just as fascinating as the rocks, didn’t leave me at all confused. Kevin’s chosen instrument, the tin whistle, more often than not takes a supportive rather than a starring rôle in an instrumental arrangement. But Kevin isn’t a musician to keep to the shadows and, having become an acknowledged master of the tin whistle, he has set his sights on “pushing the instrument to its limits in a new and fresh direction”.
Whilst still in his early 20s, his career to date has seen him perform as a member of two bands, Trodá and Athrú and in many, many collaborations. Spanish Point is the debut album under his own name, but, with no less than sixteen guests contributing to the recording, I’m feeling it’s probably best not to approach it as a ‘solo’ album. In effect, there’s a core team of Kevin, synth maestro Alex Borwick and guitarist Shane McCartan, who play on almost every track and share the production credit. Alex also looked after the recording and mixing, mostly carried out in two Dublin studios, Camden and The Loft. Two other musicians also play on most tracks, Conor Broderick, a fellow member of Athrú, adds piano and Lúnasa’s Trevor Hutchinson, provides an acoustic upright bass line whenever needed.
The opening track, composed by Kevin and giving the album its title, opens gently with guitar and piano before the whistle joins to begin the melody, reinforced on a second run through by Donal Donnelly’s fiddle. Bodhrán from Paul Fegan joins, initially ornamenting the guitar rhythm, eventually helping to drive along a frisky second section with Trevor’s bass adding depth. There’s a hint of less conventional things to come when, towards the end, a Wurlitzer makes a brief contribution, courtesy of pianist Conor. The two moods of the tune nicely reflect the two faces of Spanish Point, a relaxing stroll along a sandy beach backed by dunes or the rocks at either end that, in stormy weather, proved fatal to ships from the Spanish Armada. The mix of musicians on this first tune sets the tone with a spread of regional influences that is typical of the album. Kevin is a Dubliner, Donal, Conor and Trevor are all from the north of Ireland while Shane McCarten, originally from the north, is now based in Glasgow.
The next track introduces a format typical of the album as a whole, as all but two of the tracks are tune sets. It starts off with the traditional jig Brennan Mac Finn, progressing through Eamonn Doorley’s Nellie Garvey’s and I Have It Somewhere a composition from renowned Scottish piper Allan MacDonald. Kevin’s whistle takes the melodies throughout the set, backed by the ubiquitous Shane on guitar along with piano, here played by Ella McGrory from Donegal, and bodhrán from Dublin’s Niall Preston. This very typical mix of instruments for a tune set is augmented by a synthesised bass line, also from Ella, and Alex’s synth. There’s an intriguing aspect to this, whilst the arrangement may be richer, the presence of these extras by no means intrudes into the traditional feel of the music. Looking ahead at the track list, there’s an array of non-traditional instruments to come, raising the expectation that the music will sound rather less traditional as the album progresses.
On the following track, another three-tune set, Rockabill Island, Alex’s synth does play a more distinctive rôle and both he and Shane add electric guitar, but it’s not until The Living Bridge, a Kevin composition in two parts, that the mood changes substantially. After an opening minute or so of whistle/fiddle duet underpinned by piano, an electric bass line from Cein Daly and a full drum kit played by Cathal Murphy initiate the change with chords from Alex’s synth competing with the whistle for attention. The start of part two is signalled by the synth and bass briefly taking centre stage and then with three sharp drum beats the track takes flight and we’re in the land of Celtic folk rock.
The drums ensure that The Glasgow Set, a trad tune followed by two compositions from Breabach’s Calum MacCrimmon, keeps up the pace and energy level but there’s also a calmer element with an absence of synth and the return of Trevor’s acoustic bass. This calming allows attention to fall on one of the standout collaborations on the album, between Kevin and 2019’s Scottish Young Trad Musician of the Year, fiddler Benedict Morris. Whistle and fiddle interweave around the slower passages and make more of a combined assault on the faster sections.
Borve Castle and Inches From Dublin mark a partial return to more traditional instrumentation with bodhrán replacing the drum kit, Patrick Meehan playing on Borve Castle, Robbie Walsh on Inches From Dublin. It’s not all tradition, though, with Cein’s electric bass still there on Borve and the synth returning on Inches. The overall effect, though, sets the two tracks much closer in style to the opening section of the album. It’s hard to ensure a name check for everyone who’s contributed to an album with this many guests and one that’s almost slipped through the net is Sean O’Meara who, for Borve Castle, takes over from Shane on guitar.
Having toyed with bringing the musical style full circle, the final track strikes out along a different path. Nusa is a set of two traditional Scottish puirt-à-beul followed by a composition from Scottish piper Rory Campbell. The very nature of puirt-à-beul, fast songs where the rhythm of the words is often more important than their meaning, makes it ideal material for transfer to the whistle. Kevin makes the most of it, showcasing his talent in a final burst of energetic playing. But this closing track is remarkable for far more than that, uilleann pipes feature for the first time, courtesy of Cathal Croke and take their share of the final melody. A surprise addition for the finale sees Alex swapping his synth for a trombone and, joined by Bill Blackmore on trumpet, providing a horn section to back the melody.
For Kevin, Spanish Point has been four years in the making and one can quite see how it would take all of that time to develop collaborations with this range of musicians and then get each of them into a studio. I’ve a sneaking suspicion some of these collaborations have the legs to run to another album in the future but for now, it is the mix, with its often surprising elements, that makes Spanish Point so enjoyable. The tin whistle has long been associated with Irish music, but Kevin has been careful to exploit its roots in Scotland as well. Using Scottish material and Scottish musicians has injected extra variety into a musical mix that was already overflowing with talent and imagination and has made Spanish Point an album to cherish.
Order via Bandcamp: https://kevinmeehanwhistle.bandcamp.com/album/spanish-point-2