I was taken by Ciaran's voice - battered, winsome and tender. Hank Williams once said that "you got to have smelt a lot of mule manure before you can sing like a hillbilly" and I wonder what was in the air when this young guy from Lurgan got his style together.  Stuart Bailie, BBC

Ciaran Lavery, the voice at the front of Irish folk-rock act Captain Kennedy, is set to release his debut solo EP “You Will Be A Stranger now” in May 2011.  The EP, available for download on Bandcamp, represents a significant departure from the upbeat, melodic songs that Captain Kennedy are renowned for.  This material is dark and raw with a poignancy that will touch your very core.  

    

Possessing something of a strained and impassioned rasp of a voice, Lavery relies less on traditional verse-chorus-verse structures and more on lyrical content, both poetic and sad.  His voice, laced with emotion, will instantly demand your attention.  Indeed, sounding more like someone with the fully formed soul of a life well-lived, it is hard to believe that Lavery is still in his early 20’s.      

There's the occasional banjo, slide acoustic, harmonica and solemn female backing vocals but effectively that's it.  Lavery’s richly textured voice is the main instrument on this collection of songs. 

To coincide with the release, a new website has been set up at www.ciaranlavery.com