Kevin Devine is a hard working singer-songwriter who hails from Brooklyn. He has toured pretty much everywhere for the last few years and has released four albums to date. ‘Brother’s Blood’ is his fifth studio album and is the first to get a release in the UK, courtesy of Big Scary Monsters.
With ‘Brother’s Blood’, Kevin Devine has produced his most consistent album to date. The acoustic style that he is famed for is still there but this time there is a greater emphasis on full band tracks, with long time collaborators The Goddamn Band. The result is a great mix of soft acoustic styles and big sounding epics. The one thing that hold everything on this album together, though, is the song writing and, in particular, the fantastic lyrics. Mr Devine certainly has a way with words.
The album kicks off with the slow building ‘All of everything, Erased’ which features trademark haunting, hushed vocals together with poetic lyrics. ‘Carnival’ follows and is another great song. The title track proves to be a seven minute epic which encapsulates all that this album is trying to be and is a definite highlight. There is much here to enjoy but special mention should go to ‘I could be with anyone’ a superb pop song with a great use of electronic beats, and ‘Tomorrow’s just too late’, another stripped down number, that features Jesse Lacey, and proves to be a perfect end to the album.
‘Brother’s Blood’ is a little gem of an album. Fans will be delighted with Kevin Devine‘s latest effort and everyone else should make sure they give it a listen – you might just find your new favourite artist here.
Mark