Damien Dempsey: It’s All Good – The Best of Damien Dempsey

He's built like a bouncer, yet Dublin northsider Damien Dempsey has a heart as big as a mountain. And while Dempsey has proven to be a decidedly acquired taste since his 2000 debut ( They Don't Teach This Shit at School ), there's no doubt that he has made an important contribution to Ireland's pop cultural landscape. Almost 15 years after he first popped his head over the parapet, his six studio albums have been rifled for tracks that best showcase his talents; the results are mixed. Dempsey's early material remains the ultimate brand of Marmite, and to these ears the likes of Dublin Town and Negative Vibes are primitive, cringeworthy dispatches. He has vastly improved with time, however, and his latest studio album (2012's Almighty Love ) is as good a blend of rough-hewn folk/pop and focused anger as you'll get. It's all good? Mostly. damiendempsey.com
Download: Happy Days, Almighty Love