Prodigal son Jinx returns to roots with new album

Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnell – tribunegroove@gmail.com

Jinx Lennon has he has an edge that sets him apart from any other Irish songwriter, and his fans include the likes of Christy Moore and Damien Dempsey. The Dundalk native comes to the Róisín Dubh on Thursday next, May 10, and will be showcasing songs from the just-released album Grow a Pair.

The album is superb, with Lennon’s wit and fire laid bare over a largely acoustic backing. Grow a Pair concludes with Empty Aluminum Can, a song that observes his hometown from the viewpoint of an abandoned beer can.

“I don’t know where that came out of,” Jinx says. “I live near a place called St Helena’s Park. My sister used to go there to drink Buckfast. I was thinking from the perspective of a can, all the Greek tragedies that would pass you by.”

Why did he go for an acapella, sean-nós style delivery on this track?

“There are people like Liam Weldon who I’ve listened to it in the past few years,” Jinx says. “I really like his stuff.  He sang a song called Dark Horse on The Wind, a lot of people do that. He did a great version of James Connolly as well.  He’d definitely be an influence.”

Jinx Lennon has been producing music for almost 20 years. During that time, he has followed his muse, experimenting with synthesisers and samplers.

Grow a Pair is a more stripped-back affair, driven by Jinx’s acoustic guitar.  He has wanted to make an album like this since 2006, when he released Know Your Station, Gouger Nation, but only got around to realising his vision last year.

“I’m like the prodigal son, in a way,” Jinx says. “I was getting further and further away from where I started, which was a guy with a guitar singing on stage. With the different accoutrements over the years, I ended up playing less and less guitar. Then I ended up going to America about three years ago, and I realised that a lot of my songs could be sung on a guitar. And that was a revelation.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.