Keegan McInroe – Never Seen A Ghost: Single Review

By John Barlass on 26th October 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

Lurid, grim and spooky. From Keegan McInroe comes a ghostly tale for Halloween…

Release Date: 29^th October 2021

Label: Self Release

Formats: Download, Stream

You may have come across Keegan McInroe – known as a “man of the road,” he’s been around for quite some time – almost 20 years, in fact – and he’s generated quite a reputation. Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, he first drew attention to himself as the frontman with local combo Catfish Whiskey a band that generated a strong following with a repertoire they described as “A soulful blend of rock and roll, blues, country and folk.” Catfish Whiskey made a couple of well-received albums – Live From The Moon (2006) and Blood And Bones (2008) before Keegan set off alone to purvey his unique brand of laconic Americana via relentless touring and through such varied media as the written word, radio presentation and five solo albums, the most recent of which was 2017’s A Good Old Fashioned Protest. Along the way, he’s gathered a plethora of plaudits from such august publications as FATEA Magazine and RNR, and has shared stages with the likes of Leon Russell, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Otis Taylor and Ian Moore.

And to put a nice, thick layer of icing on the cake, Keegan bears more than a passing physical resemblance to the great Warren Zevon and, on the evidence of Never Seen A Ghost, he has the same lyrical capacity to shock and unsettle.

*Keegan McInroe – he looks like Warren Zevon.*

Never Seen A Ghost, his new single, was intended to be part of an EP collaboration with Veronese songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michele Bertoldi but, for reasons not yet explained (but, perhaps not unrelated to COVID restrictions) has seen light of day in this pared-down single format – we can only hope that Never Seen a Ghost does indeed turn out to be a precursor for something bigger, as it’s a fascinating and enticing piece of work!

For the single, Keegan is joined by Texan-Italian accordionist Ginny Mac, along with Michele Bertoldi, who contributes guitar, banjo and some heart-stopping moans and warbles on a bowed saw, and the rhythm section from Bertoldi’s band, Michele Bombatomica and the Dirty Orkestra, – Nelide Bandelo on drums and Martino di Franceschi on double bass. And the sound is as spooky, creepy, ghostly and haunted as befits this most unsettling of Halloween tunes!

The single tells the story of how the McInroe family home in Dublin, Texas (which dates back to 1898) came to be haunted, and gives some gruesome examples of the forms that haunting has taken over the years. I won’t spoil the surprise by recounting the story here, but be assured – it has everything you could wish for, including adultery, murder and insanity… Keegan’s gritty, husky voice (which has compared to early Kris Kristofferson) is perfect for the delivery of such a grim tale and the instrumentation – spooky accordion, howling saw, thumping bass, plodding percussion and Ginny’s operatic wailings complete the scene. Never Seen A Ghost is a song that will send shudders down the most steadfast of spines, will send the children for cover under the bedclothes and will keep the Trick Or Treaters away from your house – for good! Give it a listen – you’ll love it. And let’s hope that a new Keegan McInroe album will be on its way soon – Never Seen A Ghost has given me the taste for his work.

Incidentally, Keegan will be launching the Never Seen A Ghost single and its accompanying video during an appearance at Lola’s Saloon on West 6th Street Street, Fort Worth, at 9pm on Friday 29th October. If you’re in the area, why not pop along…

Get a taste for the music of Keegan McInroe by watching the official video of his song, To The Moon and Back, here: