Singing barber's new single is a tribute to parents

The music may well be on 'pause' as far as live performances are concerned, but thankfully for fans, some artists have been keeping themselves busy in the recording studio in the meantime. Among them is the man who has become affectionately referred to as 'The Singing Barber' Colin Kenny.

The singer/songwriter from the Shannon-side town of Banagher in Offaly has just released a heartfelt tribute to his parents' love (Jack and Annie) entitled 'Will you dance with me, Annie?

Kenny's talent as a vocal stylist of some distinction first began to garner attention when he released his take on some classic country hits such as Keith Whitley's 'Don't Close Your Eyes', and the more mainstream pop hit 'You're Such A Good Looking Woman', made eternally famous by the late Joe Dolan, combined with high profile appearances supporting Tony Christie, Mike Denver, The Fureys, and others.

This latest release further establishes his credentials as a songwriter, following on from a string of self-penned tunes such as 'I'm A Country Singer' and more recently 'Head Over Heels In Love' which have been well received by radio and fans alike in recent times. 'With Will You Dance With Me, Annie?' offers up a time-honoured and sincere sentimentality, presented through the prism of his parents' love, that's certain to pull at the heartstrings of country fans.

"Yeah, it's a very personal one for me this time, there's no doubt about that. But you know what, it's actually an honour for me to have been able to write this song. I feel like I've been very lucky in being able to see with my own eyes over the years the great love that my parents have for each other. It's a fire that they've been able to keep burning for such a long time, and that's something that I'm very proud of as their son. It's not just a love, I feel like it's a very special kind of love that they share."

The Hot Country TV Award winner continued: "And of course, as the song itself tells in its story, great loves like theirs often begin from just moments as simple as two people sharing a dance, back when the slow-set was still such an important part of any night out! Maybe the absence of the slow-sets these days is denying us a lot of songs, too, who knows?. I have them to thank for the idea behind this one, though, so they'll always have a bit of a special place in my own heart too. It's one thing as a songwriter to be able to write something that's based on a good idea, or a good play on words, maybe a hook that you know will stick in peoples' minds. And that's great, whatever way a song comes together is to be welcomed, as any writer will tell you. To use a fishing analogy, it's just about trying to bring the thing to shore! But being in a position to record something you've written that is so deeply personal to you, and to your family, and to everything else that comes with that, that's a privilege, so it is."

One of the signs of any good song is that when you hear it first it somehow feels like it's been around forever. But not in a way that means it sounds the same as everything else, or like a lot of what's out there. Rather in a way, that means it slips effortlessly into a place all of its own, a place it was always destined to fill, somewhere it was always meant to belong. For most country music fans, as far as 'Will You Dance With Me, Annie?' goes, that place will be their hearts.