Reviews | ||
 RTÉ - September 4 2006
After being dropped by Warner Bros, Kitt returned with a covers album, 2004's 'The Black and Red Notebook'. It was an enjoyable, laid-back musical journey through the singer's own record collection that nonetheless commanded little repeat listening, save for his beautiful take on Jape's 'Haunt Me'. So 'Not Fade Away' appears after two inward-looking collections that left Kitt looking like he had a point to prove It
opens gently with 'One Clear Way' and the rainy day mood music of 'Grey
Day'. The tuneful and warm 'Sleep' is an early highlight that combines
acoustic, electric and electronic like all the best of Kitt's work. 'I Know
the Reason' is angrier and snappier, ending with an electric guitar fuzz-out
that creates more distance between 'Not Fade Away' and the love-filled music
of his last album proper. This ties in directly to the fast-paced tale of debauchery on 'Say No More', which reminds us that one of Kitt's strongest lyrical suits is telling tales of night life in Dublin town. The album ends with the country-sounding 'With You', which combines old-sounding piano notes with a banjo and plaintive vocals of love lost. Daytime radio won't warm to 'Don't F*** With Me' for obvious reasons, but neither will the poppy lead single prevent Kittser's fans from cherishing what marks a strong return to form for the singer. Bill Lehane, 4/5
DubLinks - July 2006
David Kitt began composing in earnest during a year he'd taken out of college. He set himself up a studio in his bedroom, with a keyboard and a beat-box wired into a mini-disc recorder, and a guitar on his lap. Slowly, patiently, carefully, he constructed his melodies, strumming on the guitar, and laying down backing tracks and rhythms on the mini-discs. Then he'd wander out to a gig, and play, alone on stage, with his guitar and mini-disc player. That year out of college was enough. Someone at Rough Trade noticed the unassuming fellow, and signed him. Since then his music has grown richer and more complex. His debut album, Small Moments, caught the public attention. The subtle melodies and gentle voice give it a very light touch, but not too light: with the well of emotion behind the melodies, there is no lack of substance. The Big Romance, his 2001 album, was a little too over-produced; you can practically hear the studio silence in the background. It is too clean-cut and impersonal, the opposite of the musician. If you have enjoyed his recorded work, make sure you catch him live, where his music is truly free to speak. David Kitt's third album, Square 1 avoids the excessive varnish of The Big Romance, and has more depth of feeling than his previous albums. David attributes this added emotion to his recent marriage, which changed the direction he wanted to take his music. He has moved away from the mechanics of creating sounds and towards expressing the feelings behind the songs. In 2004, David Kitt was dropped by his record company but he has come back fighting with the release of his new album The Black and Red Notebook. Released through Kitt's own Dublin Discs label, the album features an array of borrowed classics from artists like JJ Cale, Sonic Youth, Thin Lizzy, The Beatles and Toots & The Maytals. Now David Kitt returns in flying from with an album of original material, Not Fade Away and this concert in Whelan's is an excellent chance to hear all of his exciting new songs.
David Kitt, Whelan's
RTÉ Entertainment - October 26 2004 David Kitt - The Black And Red Notebook
'All Night Long' is the one new David Kitt song on the album. It's a drinking ballad of the sort you could imagine The Dubliners or Shane MacGowan intoning. It tells the story of a session that continues from late night to early morning drinking, and ends up with the song's heroes feeling decidedly shaky on a train home amidst rush hour commuters. It also features what is probably the first mention of the smoking ban in recorded music. Unfortunately, the chorus is repetitive and annoying, and the track ends with a crazed fuzz out featuring ominous strings and what sounds like a wah-wah pedal. Perhaps that was the hangover. Kitt's audible laughter at the end says it all. The rest of the album features David Kitt's take on eight songs from many different styles, some of which he already plays in his live set. Everything from rap to reggae to REM to The Beatles is included, though it is predictably a hit-and-miss endeavour. At times, the listener gets the impression that Kitt is playing for his own enjoyment and not ours. These kinds of releases do strange things to an act's chart performance. After the initial fan rush to buy the complete waste of money that is Damien Rice's 'B-Sides', the brief compilation is now languishing in the twenties while the three-year-old surprise hit album that spawned it, 'O', is back riding high around the Top 5. Don't be surprised if this record, ultimately a fan-only purchase, does something similar to David Kitt's back catalogue. Bill Lehane, 2/5 Tracklisting: Haunt Me (Jape) - All Night Long (David Kitt) - Never Stop (Money Mark) - Magnolia (JJ Cale) - Teenage Riot (Sonic Youth) - Dancing In The Moonlight (Thin Lizzy) - And Your Bird Can Sing (The Beatles) - Going In A Field (Ivor Cutler) - Don't Go Back To Rockville (REM) - Pressure Drop (Toots & The Maytals)
Sunday Times: Music Choice - July 30 2006 Music Choice: David Kitt Mick Heaney
The Guardian - "Luck Of The Irish" - January 1 2004 He used to sing high-pitched songs about combs. Now he's becoming a superstar. Dave Simpson meets David Kitt Finding Ireland's fastest-rising singer-songwriter isn't easy. First you have to drive for about an hour out of Dublin, before "Left turn, 200 yards" leads to a dead end. "Follow the road a bit" means travelling for miles, past big old buildings and the occasional weasel. It becomes apparent that purveyors of hazy, emotional songs aren't so good at offering directions. "You found the place," says David Kitt, emerging from the creaking 19th-century schoolhouse that he is renting. "Not many people do." With good reason. Kitt has recently acquired the alternative badge of honour for any modern pop musician: stalkers. "One guy left 11 messages on my phone in one morning," he says, pouring some tea. "One went, 'Notice me. Pick up the fucking phone.'" Such encounters are something Kitt might have to get used to. In September, his album Square 1 spent three weeks at number one in Ireland. "I was battling with Sean Paul," he says, shrugging at the thought of the muscular reggae star. "Not the sort of person I'd normally take on." The album is released in the UK next month and Kitt could well follow David Gray and Damien Rice - who both enjoyed early success in Ireland - on what Kitt drily calls "the well-beaten path to superstardom". Kitt admits that initial interest in him stemmed from "people looking for the next David Gray", but he doesn't feel an affinity. In fact, Square 1, with its intimate love songs, uplifting soul melodies, subtle electronics and wry observations, could be the work of a younger, Irish Leonard Cohen. Cohen ended up in a monastery. The schoolhouse isn't that remote, but Kitt seems uncomfortable with aspects of celebrity. His platinum disc hides under a pile of musical equipment. His only visible rock-star excess is a liking for toast smothered with olive oil, margarine and Brie. On Square 1, he appears on the record sleeve for the first time - in a holiday snapshot. "My mates said, 'Why've you got your top off?'" Friends like that would keep anyone grounded, but Kitt's suspicion of celebrity is deeply rooted. The son of Irish politician Tom Kitt (Ireland's foreign affairs minister), he remembers how a walk to the shops with Dad became a "40-minute test of his patience. I would have told them all to fuck off." His father's job also influences his songwriting, rendering certain subjects off-limits: "If I wrote a song about ecstasy or whatever, the Fianna Fáil vote would collapse," he half-jokes. In fact, Kitt says there was a certain irony to his career choice: earlier in life, Kitt Sr played in Dublin pub-rock group Twelfth Night and taught music to primary-school children. His son remembers sitting in his father's class as 30-odd children strummed acoustic guitars, playing the same chord. "It was an incredible sound," he recalls. "Phil Spector would have wet himself." By the age of eight Kitt was recording songs into an old Phillips tape recorder. His early stuff was "very high-pitched", and included a tune called Comb Brush in My Pocket, which he is still threatening to release. His obsession with music hasn't abated: almost every room in the schoolhouse is piled high with CDs or singles, many of them obscure 7"s he has tracked down at car-boot sales. Only the toilet escapes - but even here you'll find a book called A Thousand Record Sleeves. Although hooked by music, Kitt took jobs as a barman and a teacher of English to students in Madrid, and had to be badgered into becoming serious about singing. As friends pointed out that his songs were getting better and better, he grudgingly sent a tape to Warner Island, eventually signing to Warner's subsidiary Blanco y Negro, run by artist-friendly Rough Trade head honcho Geoff Travis. Kitt's first two albums, 2000's Small Moments and 2001's The Big Romance, combined razor-sharp songwriting with his love of electronica and Krautrock. His third album revolves around a different love: his wife Poppy, whom Kitt met in early 2002. A sometime DJ, Poppy was working backstage at one of his gigs; she was carrying amps and, Kitt remembers, "wearing ear protectors, so she didn't hear me". One song on Square 1, Faster and Faster, movingly describes the couple's first 24 hours: "We met, stayed up all night. On Wednesday evening I kissed her lips," run the lyrics. "She's actually since told me it was a Thursday," Kitt confesses. As he sheepishly tells it, Poppy was with a group of people at his house watching a documentary. At 6am, he walked her to the gate, but they kept walking, to an early-hours pub, to the National Gallery, staying together into the night. It sounds less a courtship than a great adventure. Faster and Faster was recorded on the couple's "accidental honeymoon" in New Orleans. Kitt was working in Nashville and the couple tried to hire a car to do some sightseeing, but Poppy didn't have a credit card to register as the driver. Helpfully, the receptionist at their hotel explained that they could get a car by getting married. Shortly afterwards, the couple were hitched by "some old judge with a hip flask, Hawaiian shirt and some old trainers. We picked up the car with the marriage licence." It's not surprising, then, that Square 1 is full of love songs - and no Irish singer-songwriter has eulogised new love with such direct, uplifting purity since Van Morrison. But Kitt's writing is also peppered with darkness; despite his great love affair, Kitt admits that he is occasionally visited by undefinable depression. "I don't know where it comes from," he says. "But at the moment it's plain sailing." Interview over, we head for a gig in Dublin, where the tiny Poppy greets her lanky husband with a giant hug. By the end of the night, the pair are dancing right in front of the stage. What Kitt really, really wants is for his songs to be heard without sacrificing this normal life. He is changing one thing, though. The stalkers won't be happy, but he's moving house next week. · Square 1 is out on January 19 on Blanco y Negro. RTÉ Entertainment - May 17 2001 A fine romance - David Kitt
'Small Moments' was the soundtrack to last summer's end, a snapshot of a time and place in Kitt's life that had a life far beyond the bedroom that it was mainly recorded in. "It was kind of surprising," says Kitt. "As far as I was concerned it was just something that I really needed to release for myself and for a few people around me who felt it was really important that I release it. So, in terms of the reaction, I was kind of shocked. I suppose there were a couple of things in there like 'Another Love Song' and 'Headphones' which would have been more accessible. The moments on the album that I'm most proud of are probably 'There Are Words' and 'Sound Fades With Distance'. They were two really nice moments of having a real sense of achievement at home with things that I'd done - I couldn't really work out how I'd done them, but it was just magic. I know there are people who won't like the way they're recorded - but I really like it." "Feel over finish," chimes in clarinet and sax player Diarmuid MacDiarmada who plays on the album and who, together with improvisational pianist Paul Smyth, makes up the onstage threesome that are the David Kitt live experience. "You could have an album of small details and nothing behind it. What's important is the 'something behind it' without necessarily all the bolts fully tightened." Recording 'The Big Romance' in Area 51 studios was an opportunity to take a closer look at some of those bolts and figure out how to tighten them but initially it wasn't easy, according to Kitt. "When you're used to doing everything yourself at home, it was a very different headspace to be in. At first we were doing stuff in the studio and it wasn't sounding right. It wasn't sounding like me. Slowly, as you go through the process of recording, you pick up tricks, ways to make things sound warmer and less clinical. We put a lot of stuff back out through amps, got as much air into the recording as possible. It took about six months to figure out what were the ways to achieve the sound I wanted from the studio. But once I'd achieved that everything started to fall into place very quickly. It was the same kind of basic approach as 'Small Moments'; I'd put down the bass and the guitar and the keyboards and then Diarmuid played on four or five tunes and Paul played on a few tunes as well. There was no real time for hanging out. In a way it's nice 'cos then all the performances do have a little bit more of a live spark. It's a conscious effort to keep things as real as possible.' Looking to the future, Kitt sees the next album as going in a different direction. "Some of it is going to be a lot noisier," he considers. "At the moment I think there's going to be more electric guitar on it. Unless there's a huge personal disaster in the meantime, I'd like to think it would be a very 'up' album. I kind of have an idea to do one slow laid back side and a really up soul groove side, a bit more lively on the beat front." But before all of that, there's the delicious fusion of trip-hop and acoustic folk that is the 'The Big Romance' - don't miss out on this summer's soundtrack. Caroline Hennessy
RTÉ Entertainment - October 1 2003 David Kitt - Square 1
Discovered while on honeymoon in New Orleans and brought into studio for an impromptu recording session, Lil' Band O' Gold give a certain southern swing to the countrified waltz of 'Faster & Faster'. It's an album highlight, together with the upbeat 'Me & My Love' which samples the joyous Gamble & Huff Philly soul classic '(You) Got What I Need' and former B-side 'Saturdays'. Elsewhere, however, Kitt's use of strings and horns can't disguise lyrics of Hallmark card sentimentality and his repetitive use of imagery. An undeniably talented musician and performer, hopefully next time round Kitt can match the quality of the words to that of the music. Caroline Hennessy
Hot Press - "The Square Fella" David Kitt
It also makes for the poppiest, catchiest music Kittster has produced to date, from the brass-laden, infectious 'Got What I Need' to the magnificent 'Your Smiling Face', which is surely the song to catapult the young Dubliner to worldwide adulation and international stardom. 'Dance With You' is so fragile, so delicate, that you expect Kittster to break down into tears at any moment: paradoxically, it's probably his finest ever vocal performance. 'Saturdays' starts off filled to the brim with bittersweet melancholia and somehow mutates into a massive, epic, distorted instrumental of dischord and melody that I can see becoming my favourite song over the next couple of months. Elsewhere, there's the naïve innocence of 'House With Trains', the sweet electronica of 'Tonic', the summer breeze of 'Long Long Stares' and the countrified waltz of 'Faster & Faster'. This is the most soul-baringly open that Kittster has ever been, as he relays the delight and fear of falling in love, and the result makes for his most instantly accessible and compelling release to date. Square One is the absolute antithesis to something like Blood On The Tracks. While it won't give you the get-up-and-go necessary for a Friday night on the batter, it's the perfect album to wake up to. An early morning rather than late-night listen, it's sticky-eyed with sleep as opposed to bleary-eyed with gargle. A truly beautiful and affecting album filled with minor chords and major choruses, Square 1 washes you in a warm, fuzzy embrace that is impossible not to fall in love with. John Walshe, 9/10
Irish Times - Back to Square 1
Sunday Times - August 2003
David Kitt has come out of his shell after finding his soul in America’s deep south, says Mick Heaney There’s a singular diffidence to David Kitt, the intent nonchalance of a man who is uneasy in the spotlight but happy to write an entire album of love songs about his marriage. But don’t make the mistake of confusing his manner for timidity or bashfulness; when it comes to fighting his corner for his music, Kitt is not shy of a scrap. Just ask his record company. Rewind a few months, to a studio set deep in the Loire Valley in France. Kitt has been recording for several weeks, teasing out the stripped down, soulful rhythms he wants to underpin his third album. Far from feeling under pressure to follow the success of his second album, The Big Romance, the Dublin singer-songwriter and his musical collaborators, Jimmy Eadie and Karl Odlum, are ecstatic about the sessions to date, regularly experiencing “little epiphanies” in the recording booth. And then the executives from Kitt's record company, Blanco Y Negro, paid a visit to the studio. Despite his bashful nature, however, Kitt gradually started to make a name for himself, his distinctive fusion of rambling, emotive songs and otherworldly beats and loops marking him out from the indie wannabes who played alongside him while he was studying music technology at Trinity College, Dublin. Eventually, Kitt was picked up by seminal indie figure Geoff Travis, whose Rough Trade label issued Kitt's first album, Small Moments, in 2000. It was followed by a deal with Warner Music offshoot Blanco Y Negro, and his 2001 album, The Big Romance. The disc, with its disarming, rambling ambience, was a hit in Ireland and confirmed Kitt as a critics’ favourite in Britain, but for all the praise from an Irish music press cheerleading the man they cosily dubbed “Kittser ”, the singer himself quickly became aware that outside Ireland he had a harder mountain to climb. “I was really expecting it to happen elsewhere. We did all these long tours of Europe and the UK, but you’d go to one place after the next and the record company wouldn’t even really know who you were. And that was all quite disappointing and arduous. We got to play some great gigs, but it wasn’t the lap of luxury: there’s mould in the showers in the clubs, you’re eating crap food every day and your record isn’t even in the shops. So I was quite despondent after all that.” Nor was his mood helped by the realisation that his new-found prominence in the press had its downside; when a newspaper ran lurid headlines about an interview in which Kitt admitted using cannabis. It was hardly a scoop, given the drooping stoner persona he can project on stage, but he still smarts at the incident.
entertainment.ie - September 2003 David Kitt
Local Ireland - June 2000
Nick Drake, Van Morrison, Tim Buckley….etc., he's been compared to all of them. Read how David Kitt has created such a stir and why he isn't just another cloned troubadour. Daniel Hegarty
Local Ireland - " Small Moments" - 2000
Anyone who’s paid attention to what’s been going on in recent years will know that there’s been loads of interesting music coming out of the city, and Kitt adds to the richness of talent with some of the most glorious songs you’ll hear anywhere. Although ‘Small Moments’ isn’t his debut album-proper, it captures a time in Kitt's career perfectly. Most of this record’s content are hoe recordings and demos, but the quality of the material brings them to a level where they’re complete in the way that they’re found here. ‘Step Outside in the Morning Light’ and the closing track ‘Headphones’ bring you straight to the heart of where Kitt brings you in his songs. At the risk of sounding a touch poetic, they’re found somewhere between a deep blue ocean and a carnival of light on a midsummer’s evening. Confused?…get the album and you’ll know what I mean.
"Kicking Against" - Independent Records
Definitely one of the most telling signs of changing times in Ireland is the unstoppable momentum of The Redneck Manifesto from Dublin. Across their first two albums Thirtysix Strings and Cut Your Heart Off From Your Head they rock hard with tense nervous energy and intelligent, poignant and intricate musicianship. Their live shows are unmatched for sheer hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck excitement and they come across as the most visual and physical live instrumental act we've ever seen. Meanwhile, Rednex bassist Richie Egan forging his own way as Jape, songs about girls and computer games that take the form of beautifully imperfect and pastoral electronic pop music. Decal have long since been setting the standards for electronic produced music in Ireland. From their dancefloor destroying electro charges to the heaving melody-driven serenity of their latest album 404 Not Found, Denis and Alan are amongst the most accomplished producers around. On the 404 Not Found track we've included here you'll hear the voice of one Alan Kelly, who is featured elsewhere on Kicking Against… as The Last Post. Featuring guest contributions from David Kitt and Diarmuid Mac Dermada from The Jimmy Cake and the David Kitt live band, we've got a sneak preview of Alan's forthcoming second album on Bright Star Recordings, Dry Land. His debut album from 2000, Love Lost, was a gorgeous excavation of brilliantly produced harmony pop music that would leave fans of Brian Wilson, Gram Parsons or Phil Spector gasping for air. His new album is even better again. Also from the Volta Sounds stable is one of our most exhilarating new forces, Creative Controle. This is Irish hip-hop minus the paddy-whackery and featuring the breathless rhyme style of emcee Messiah J and the tight beats and heightened orchestration of producer The Expert. "Bloodrush" is their single, a swooping orchestral smack in the gob that a five star review from Muzik magazine and prompted DJ mag to describe it as "Truly great hip-hop." Completing the musical line-up on Kicking Against… is the utterly insane stigmata-macarena-pop insanity of the Warlords of Pez and their cult classic "Padre Pio". But that's not all, for we couldn't offer you a proper overview of what's happening without showcasing the visual genius of animation and design trio D.A.D.D.Y. So we've made space for their awesome animation video pieces to accompany Creative Controle's "Bloodrush" and the Warlords' "Padre Pio". So feast your eyes on this and wrap your ears around the whole Kicking Against… banquet. The future sound of Ireland never sounded so good.
Beth Orton (supported by David Kitt) itt took to the stage with his trusted mini-disc at 8pm. Apart from a group of die-hards congregating at the front, the place was still practically empty. He delivered his outstanding acoustic insights with his usual commitment nonetheless and after a brief solo set was joined by the rest of his band. The added clarinet, glockenspiel and keyboards provided more life and as the punters poured in for the main event they were greeted by the mesmeric ‘Song From Hope St.’ People were starting to take note. The showstopper arrived in the minute form of Robbie Kitt, David’s kid brother, who arrived on stage for the finale. Every time the youngster belted out the high-pitched “…I hope you want me too”, he was met with rapturous appreciation from the large crowd that had now assembled.
eclectichoney "You Know What I Want To Know"
On the flipside Roadsong will be familiar to most fans from its appearance in another guise on TBR under the alias of Into the Breeze. This version though is quite different from the latter, even if it is maybe not quite as cool and laid-back. As with Song from Hope Street though, it's again track 3 Back with the Lonesome touch and the quiet tears of Joy (that's one to be abbreviated in the future;)) that highlights Kitt's true penchant for originality. More focused on the instrumental side rather than being lyrically-based, it's as dreamy and flowing as Kittser's best transcending music and it's as evocative as a classical music masterpiece and as proletarian as a stadium-rock anthem to boot.
Eclectic Honey - "Song From Hope Street"
It's backed by a languid, mellow, melancholic instrumental, the atmosphere of which perfectly complements its title of Late Night Early Morning, and the enigmatic, heart-melting Saturday which could just have easily been the title track on this single. Here Kitt celebrates the beautiful ordinary moments that make life so special, with meandering clarinet and saxophone which evoke images of endless summer days; "Tell me there'll be Saturdays, with nothing else to do". Like on so many of Kitt's songs, he manages to create the atmosphere and tone perfectly using just the right combination of instruments, beats and vocals. The key to his success is in the wonderful array of different sounds that lie deeper beneath the surface of beats and guitar, creating a wonderfully warm, rich and resonant sound. The record concludes with Kitt's beautiful mantra of "Anytime now we'll stand out in the rain and see it all again" and the rest of the music melts and fades away . One thing's for sure, it will be a long time before we see someone else as gifted as David Kitt create a record as tenderly fragile and moving as this one.
witnness.com - Witnness Rising
"Headphones" dripping with its stately pop genius...Frames frontman Glen Hansard lending a voice to a surprisingly lovely rendition of Pat Benetar's "Love Is A Battlefield". A gargling solo on "Whispers Return The Sun". Lil' Robbie - the deadpan, fun-size Kittser - adding an angelic touch to "Another Love Song" and proving himself the only 9 year old worthy of keys to the city. With the tent more stuffed than a Christmas day belly (and with twice as many people listening in - thanks to a sea of mobile phones held aloft to make unlucky friends at home jealous), it's obvious that Mr Kitt's moment has arrived. Man of the match - no question. witnness.com - Biog
Where's The Craic - Witnness 2001
Where's The Craic - A Wee Night For Uaneen
Amongst some of the most memorable moments were David Kitt accompanied by ten year old brother Robbie who sang "Another Love Song". On entering the stage young Robbie was faced with the crowd chanting his name, which he took in his stride. Wilt performed "The One I Love" by R.E.M., which set the tone for numerous strange and interesting cover versions during the night. These included Gavin Friday singing Coldplays "Yellow" accompanied by piano and Paddy Casey with the Frames singing the Waterboys hit "The Whole Of The moon". He summed up the feelings of the evening when on introducing 'Star, Star', he said ' This song is for a sleeping angel, goodbye and we look forward to meeting up with you on the other side.' James Malone
Where's The Craic - David Kitt
Pius Meagher
David Kitt 'The Big Romance'
James Malone
Where's The Craic
James Malone
The Big Romance
'The Big Romance' is a joy to behold. A light, chilled out album it makes perfect Summer listening. Tunes like 'Song From Hope St.' and 'Pale Blue Light' will be running through your head as you frolic in dewy meadows and walk blissfully along the beach during the coming Summer months. In parts this album will make you tap your foot, in parts it'll make you smile and in parts it'll make you think. I think overall you will find listening to the album to be a postive experience that is if you can appreciate lo-fi tunes with that homemade feel to them (that can also be seen, or rather heard, in the music of Badly Drawn Boy and The Frames). In fact tracks 4 and 10 were actually recorded and mixed by Kittser at home. With the chart success of Kittser's album and that of The Frames' 'For The Birds' it is good to see that maybe Irish music fans are starting to cop on. Hopefully 'The Big Romance' is just the begining of what will be a long and fruitful relationship between David Kitt and the music buying public. Thanks to Niall from Kaboom Music
Road Relish - "Irma Vep" 13 June 2000 Rough Trade Shop
enter.ie - August 2000 David Kitt - Small Moments (Rough Trade)
muse.ie - The Scope - 2001 NEXT BIG THING | David Kitt In a city where the likes of Paddy Casey and (especially) David Gray are lauded for their old take on an older story, it's pretty impressive that someone like David Kitt can come to our attention. The Anti-Gray in every sense (you won't find any Chris Rea records in his collection), Kitt comes from the underground with a significant chance of making it count and shine overground. Imagine, if you will, the songs of Elliot Smith put through the mill by a hybrid of Plush and Looper and you're somewhere close to where Kitt starts from. Onstage, with one chap playing a small Casio and another chap who they picked up four hours earlier hitting the drums, Kitt's songs soar. Simple, heartfelt, beautiful minor symphonies, they resound with a sense of grace and modesty few other Irish songwriters ever bother to countenance. Not for Kitt the grandoise gestures or the empty flatulence which has for so long dogged anyone tagged a singer-songwriter. These songs come from the heart - even those with mad-for-it beats and strange loops. So far, we've only seen Kitt live but, to judge by a acked Whelan's on a wintry Tuesday night, the word is spreading. Certainly choice supports to the likes of The Auteurs (even if there was no-one there) and, more importantly, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, have helped. Also these supports show that Kitt is at home on all stages. A friendly, self-effacing performer, there is none of the rather tired pontificating or self-regard of his peers. Instead, he simply plays his songs and guages reaction from the floor. It can only be a matter of time before Kitt is everywhere so get ready for that. There's talk of an EP release in the New Year, but there are sure to be plenty of opportunities to catch him in action before then. Go see and prepare to be wowed. Jim Carroll
enter.ie - 'Small Moments' - August 2000
Recorded at home over a leisurely period of time, the seven tracks on 'Small Moments' offer the perfect introduction to an Irish talent who is rapidly making an impact both here and in the UK, thanks to his fine grasp of melody, a deft touch to his songwriting and a grasp of arrangement that defies his years. David is currently in the studio working on his next album which is scheduled to be released by Blanco Y Negro on May 18 2001.
Where's The Craic
CLUAS.com - 'Small Moments' - August 2000
The best thing about this album is its simplicity. All the songs are home-recordings done on Kitt's own equipment and as a result of this they are very pure and raw. The first two tracks ‘There are Words’ and ‘Sleep Comes Forever’ are laid back tunes with gentle but insistent beats and softly whispered lyrics. ‘Step Outside in the Morning Light’ showcases David Kitt's fragile voice to gorgeous effect, alongside dreamy flute provided by Mick Fleming.
Independent Records - Come On Up To The House EP
To coincide with the tour a limited edition Mini album was available at the gigs featuring The Frames, Jubilee Allstars, the debut of David Kitt, Barry McCormack & Friends, and Dave Cleary, and also including the brand new video for The Frames track "Star, Star").
cluas.com - David Kitt / Salako Whelan's, Dublin, 5 Feb 2000 Dublin singer-songwriter David Kitt has been the subject of many a favourable whisper lately and, as I had yet to catch him play live, tonight's gig was laden with great expectations for me. Kitt was the main reason I went to this gig, although he was not headlining in his own right, but was supporting Salako, label-mates with the mighty Belle & Sebastian. All I had heard by Kitt prior to the gig was his contribution to the mini-album 'Come up to the House', on which he appeared alongside The Frames and Jubilee Allstars. The song he recorded for this limited edition release was 'Hope St', a melody-laden tune that served to whet my appetite no end. David Kitt's performance exceeded all expectations. His songs are beautifully structured, and his lyrics intelligent and heartfelt. Kitt has a sweet, velvety voice that falls on untrodden ground somewhere between Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake. The music soars with lush melodies, helped along by delicate guitars and a xylophone, among other instruments. Kitt played with his backing band for the first time tonight. They were unrehearsed but gelled brilliantly nonetheless. The highlight of Kitt's set was his last song when his kid brother Robbie sang backing vocals for him. Another one to watch. Overall David Kitt's music is powerful and has the power to tug at the heartstrings. Believe the hype. Salako were bound to be hard-pushed to keep up the high standards that David Kitt had set with such ease. In my eyes they failed pretty miserable in their task. A pure indie band, they played short, loud three minute pop songs, with a few strange samples thrown in. The music itself was strong, but Salako's singer was a disappointment. He had a weak, nondescript voice which failed to reach any heights whatsoever. In some cases, a singer with a weak voice can add character to a band, but here it was just annoying. Salako's case was not helped by the fact that most of the crowd had left after David Kitt's set and those remaining paid no attention to the band. The frontman became increasingly angry with the crowds apparent lack of interest, but the band plugged on until the end of their set nonetheless. Salako were altogether uninspiring. Perhaps they are better in the studio but I for one won't be rushing to buy their CD to find out... Niamh Grimes | ||
For
David Kitt fans, much seems to depend on the Dublin singer-songwriter's
moods. 
This self-released covers notebook's first page is probably its best. It's a cover of 'Haunt Me', a song which was first performed by one of David Kitt's sometime backing musicians, Richie Egan, in his solo project, Jape. With a wonderfully catchy, singalong chorus, 'Haunt Me' has the same comforting, reassuring tone and simple style that we first warmed to on Kittser's bedroom studio debut, 'Small Moments'.
This Friday one of the most anticipated Irish records of recent times is released. 'The Big Romance', an exceptionally beautiful collection of richly textured, tender-hearted songs, is David Kitt's major label debut. From support slots in Whelans when he was told to "cheer up" by an unamused member of the audience to last month's rapturous reception in a packed Vicar Street, David Kitt and his laid-back music have been gently infiltrating our lives and our record collections for some time now. First making an appearance on 1999's 'Come On Up To The House' compilation ep in the august company of The Frames and Jubilee Allstars, Kitt made many ears prick up with his Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, NY) (now re-recorded and re-released as the first single from 'Romance'). Choosing to make his next appearance on vinyl, he contributed the woozy, dreamy instrumental Irma Vep to the Road Relish split singles club. Then Geoff Travis' resurrected indie label, Rough Trade, released the bedroom-recorded 'Small Moments' and now we get Kitt's first studio album proper, 'The Big Romance' on Blanco Y Negro.
David Kitt's 2001 album purported to be 'The Big Romance' but 'Square 1' eclipses that LP in the heart-on-sleeve, head-over-heels, unabashed celebration of love stakes. It also signals a move away from 'The Big Romance's over-polished preoccupation with electronica as Kitt travels a more soulful road here, complete with Curtis Mayfield's sound desk and Cajun swamp-pop group Lil' Band O' Gold.
"Seven Small Moments"
Perhaps for the first time in our erratic history we can safely say that Ireland's independent music scene is ready to take on the world, ready to go pop. We're bursting at the seams right now with all sorts of goodies - electronica, hip-hop, electro, rock, instrumental music, Americana and lush pop sounds, not to mention a wave of righteous music video animation.
You know what I want to Know is one of the most straightforwardly simple, concise and compact tracks from The Big Romance, yet it still contains all of David Kitt's trademark attributes; hauntingly melodic and infectious beats, full on groove and hum-ability. Based on electric rather than acoustic guitar, You Know… offers us something different from Kittser's quieter moments, as seen on Small Moments and several tracks from his latest album. Most importantly though, it still manages to contain something that keeps everyone happy; the secret ingredient that makes Kittser's music so successful.
Song from Hope Street was the first recorded glimpse that we ever saw of David Kitt on The Come on up to the House EP, and it makes a reappearance here in a slightly adjusted form as the a-side on what is a truly beautiful release. It's original groove and verve remain intact but a much more dominant bass line and additional touches of genius combine to make it even more beguiling.
So the rain returned (though not quite with Saturday's vengeance), soaking the masses in no time at all. But there was hope, as Kittser arrived on the Rising stage to warm our hearts and keep us smiling. With that job done so perfectly, all that's left is to shake our heads in awe and pick a moment, any moment.
With the recent release of his debut album 'The Big Romance', David Kitt's star continues to ascend. A top-five chart success in Ireland, it has also won the softly spoken musician and singer international acclaim for his patented mix of folk melodies, electronica and beats.
Over in the Rising tent security were playing crowd control as hoards of David Kitts fans poured in to see him perform. Not to disappoint the punters his little brother Robbie true to form joined Kitt on stage for 'Another Love Song'. Glen Hansard also joined Kitt on stage as they rapped up the set with Kittser finishing with a epic version of 'Headphones'.
The cream of Irish music turned out to pay homage to one of Ireland's favourite hostesses. Uaneen Fitzsimons brought musical talent back to the masses with added spontaneity and charisma. The strength of "No Disco" was Uaneens ability to be informed in seemingly every musical trend that was in vogue. Her charismatic smile and easy manner disarmed us the seated audience at home and those of you who were touched by her in life. To the many artists she interviewed she was the ideal calming hostess.
There is no questioning that "The Big Romance" is a welcome addition to any musical repertoire. Its subtle idiosyncrasies and un-penetrating beats along with Kitts soothing monotone voice add a sense of lethargy whilst at the same time capturing a convivial and airy atmosphere.
"Number four in the Road Relish singles series from David Kitt who gives a dreamy and floaty instrumental with a minimalist organ line that adds layers of guitars. Mr Deasey Mooneye is a leftfield electronica track. Again a good look at what's happening in Ireland ."
The Frames were accompanied by Jubilee Allstars, David Kitt and Dave Cleary as they hit the highways and byways of Ireland for an 11 date tour in December 1999 which culminated a show in Dublin's Tivoli Theatre on New Years Eve. The multi-media shows included a showing of Darragh McCarthy's infamous film about the Irish Independent music scene 'The Stars Are Underground'..
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