Bren Holmes Announces Acoustic 'Everything' Album

Last year, Irish-born/Los Angeles resident Bren Holmes released his first-ever solo album after some 35 years of being the bassist for raucous Celtic Rock band Young Dubliners.

So, you could say that when he broke away from his decades-long family to launch his long-awaited debut, Everything You Never Wanted, his solo career was long-in-the-making but well worth the wait. While fans and media were basking in the glow of his critically-hailed debut, Bren was busy transforming his charming solo launch into a full acoustic version which will be released independently on March 29, 2022 via Bren Holmes Productions.

Loved by his old fans and new admirers, the plugged-in version of the album was a critical favorite, garnering plaudits from many rivulets of the media. American Highways cheered "it's a winner," while Americana UK proclaimed "the future is looking bright for Bren Holmes." His charismatic, stripped-down cover of ABBA's megahit "SOS" turns the radiantly-layered pop song into a plaintive, lovelorn plea.

"I've been playing acoustic versions of these songs for some time now. I have a strong connection to them, so it only seemed natural to record the acoustic versions that people have been hearing," the Los Angeles-by-way-of-Dublin musician confides, holding these ten tracks close to his chest.

Thus in lieu of proceeding on to his next project with a whole new slate of songs, Holmes held on a little longer to his debut's ten tracks and pared them down to their organic and acoustic roots. Stripped down and accompanied only by his Everything You Never Wanted co-producer Bryan Dobbs on mandolin, the result is Everything You Never Wanted Acoustic, which echoes the former version with a cozy and warm breath, hearty in emotion and rife with storytelling charm.

With Everything...Acoustic, Holmes and Dobbs masterfully paired the ten tunes with creative arrangements that encompassed Americana's many sides: rootsy pop to twangy blues; gritty rock 'n' to Celtic sing-a-longs. These new spare-and-stirring renditions provide an impressive showcase for Holmes' singing and songwriting.

Holmes' charming vocals - warm, friendly, and a bit world-weary - wonderfully express the sharply-observed details of Holmes' spirited story-songs. "While I love how these songs sound with a whole band," Bren shares, "there is also something exciting and intimate performing them with just my guitar and Bryan's mandolin."