Bap Kennedy - Above All, Love (2026)

From Bap Kennedy, one of Ireland’s most respected songwriters - a new posthumous album, to mark the 10th anniversary of his passing. Featuring 10 previously unreleased original songs. Belfast-born singer-songwriter Bap Kennedy built a career that moved from the rock roots of Energy Orchard into a distinctive solo catalogue bridging Celtic soul, Americana, country-soul and classic song-writing. Best known first as lead singer and primary songwriter with Energy Orchard, with whom he recorded five albums, Kennedy went on to establish himself as one of Ireland’s most respected solo songwriters. His work drew admiration from Steve Earle, Van Morrison and Mark Knopfler, and earned praise from critics, broadcasters and fellow musicians on both sides of the Atlantic. Above All, Love is a new posthumous album of ten previously unreleased recordings, released in August 2026 by Lonely Street Discs via Nova. The release comes in the year marking the 10th anniversary of Bap Kennedy’s passing on 1 November 2016. The album has been curated and produced by Brenda Kennedy, Bap’s wife and longtime musical collaborator, who has brought these recordings carefully into the world for listeners old and new. The title track, “Above All, Love,” gives the album its emotional and creative centre: a clear statement of the humanity, directness and melodic strength that ran through Kennedy’s writing. Across the record, the songs show the range of his later work - intimate, soulful, rooted in Belfast and Nashville, and marked by the plain-spoken emotional honesty that made his songs resonate so strongly with listeners.