“There’s no arguing that Pete Kennedy and Maura Kennedy know
how to write a fine song, but The Kennedys’ catalog also confirms they can
choose a lovely cover when they're of a mind, and they've chosen to pay homage
to some of the songwriters and tunes that influenced them most with their
eighth studio album, Songs Of The Open Road. While the
album offers a tip of the hat to some old friends and acknowledged mentors,
including Nanci Griffith (‘Late Night Grande Hotel’), Dave Carter (‘Gypsy Rose’
and ‘Happytown’) and Roger McGuinn (‘Eight Miles High’), there are a few
surprise selections here, including a lovely take on Nick Lowe’s ‘Raging Eyes,’
The Flying Burrito Brothers’ ‘Sin City’ performed with heart-tugging depth, and
a timely interpretation of Jimmy Webb’s ‘Galveston’. . . . [T]his is wondrous
folk rock built with equal measures of craft and soul; the rich but subtle
arrangements are as fine as the Kennedys’ peerless harmonies . . . [A]s a
loving expression of the folkier side of their nature it’s grand stuff and the
finished product leaves no doubt of how much these tunes mean to them. . . .
[I]t's hard to argue the Kennedys’ choice in tunesmiths, and their stirring
performances confirm they chose them wisely. (3-1/2 ***)” – Mark Deming, All Music
Guide
“Rather than compiling a mix tape
for the road, Pete and Maura Kennedy went one better. For the husband-and-wife
duo’s first covers album, they put their signature stamp on 14 of their
favorite songs for the van. Since the Byrds have always provided a touchstone
for the Kennedys’ blend of hooks, harmonies, and guitar jangle, it’s no
surprise that their transcendent version of ‘Eight Miles High’ highlights this
collection, along with dips into the songbooks of Byrds alumni Gene Clark (‘Gypsy
Rider’) and the Flying Burrito Brothers (‘
“. . . A Walt Whitman-inspired sampler, a
little traveling
music for folks who share the former Washington-based duo’s
affection for
rooted, if hardly scruffy, pop, folk, country rock and gospel. . . .
Maura
Kennedy's vocals are always lovely and often affecting, while hubby
Pete makes
evocative use of a small arsenal of instruments – organ, electric
sitar, uke, banjo, bass, glockenspiel and, of course, all manner of
guitars. Dylan fellow traveler Bobby Neuwirth’s ‘Eye on the
Road’ turns out to
be well worth covering and a nice fit for the Kennedys’ vocal
harmonies, as are
the two ballads penned by the late Dave Carter: ‘Gypsy
Rose’ and ‘Happytown
(All Right With Me).’ The inclusion of Mahalia Jackson's
‘I'm on My Way’ isn't
a big surprise, but it does pose a big challenge. Fortunately, a
cleverly
torqued arrangement allows the Kennedys to pull off the tribute without
sounding sorely miscast. . . .Tagging along with the Kennedys on this
road trip
pays off.” – Mike Joyce, The
“You want to know what’s really great about each passing
year since Pete and Maura Kennedy decided to make only the music they wanted to
make: The promise of new music from The Kennedys, of course. Whether in
actuality or symbolically, we have all had more than our share of lonely miles
and adventurous spans on the open road. . . . [T]his fourteen song collection
of Pete and Maura’s favorite ‘road covers’. . . allows our Number One folk rock
duo to shine as bright as ever, translating into shimmering, jingle-jangle
morning guitars, harmony, and Maura’s effusive, warm-as-sunshine voice. . . .
All fourteen are worth a good listen. Some that work best for
me are Victoria Williams’ transcendent ‘This Moment’; a lushly guitar textured ‘A
Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’; the poppy charge of Nick Lowe’s ‘Raging Eyes’; a
ringing ‘Sin City’; John Stewart’s sweet ‘Jasmine’; Dave Carter’s ‘Gypsy Rose’;
Mahalia Jackson’s triumphant ‘I’m On My Way’; and Bobby Neuwirth’s enigmatic ‘Eye
on The Road.’”
“This album is an uplifting journey through open country
roads. It has a beautiful uplifting essence that flows into the listener and
lets them drift out into the open road. This album seems to be straight out of
the ’60s and really puts the rock back in folk-rock. It’s so very beautiful and
well crafted. Pete and Maura Kennedy have voices that perfectly harmonize and
help to create the atmosphere for this amazing journey. The album has a sort of
an ‘instant classic’ feel to it. Though these are all new recordings, it feels
like time tested and long cherished music from the past. The Kennedys are one
of those duos you can always turn to and are never disappointed with.
(Reviewer’s Rating: 9)” – Drew
Mulkins, TheCelebrityCafe.com
“Songs
of the Open Road rings with beauty, honesty and enthusiasm for life.
There are classics. Pete’s guitar and sitar work electrify The Byrds’ ‘Eight
Miles High,’ a Kennedys’ live-show favorite, and
“Traveling throughout the country and releasing album after
album of exquisite folk rock purity, [The Kennedys] have built a solid
following of fans who admire them as much for their steadfast optimism and
ideals as for their close-knit harmonies and well-burnished melodies. Their
latest album is an apt summation of their ideals and ambitions; these are songs
that are etched upon their consciousness as they traverse the highways and back
roads of the nation, written by the folk, rock, gospel and country legends who
influenced them and defined those genres . . . The Kennedys do an admirable job
of conveying their affection for these songs even as they leave their own
indelible imprint. . . . The Kennedys do an exceptional job of transposing [the
songs] in their signature style, with maura Kennedy providing her clear-eyed
vocals while husband Pete supplies the bulk of the instrumental backing,
including the ringing fretwork that gives these songs the richness and nuance
they deserve. Fans of the band will find this wonderful work the logical
extension of the duo’s
–
“Any musical act that takes its CD’s
title from a Walt
Whitman poem has already scored points with me. At least you know
you're
dealing with smart people who probably have something interesting to
say. . . .
The inescapable reality is that precious little, if anything, is
dislikable
about this recording, which feels as if it were cut in 1965 or 1966. As
I recall, those were pretty good years for popular music,
when folk sounds were meeting rock and pop arrangements as AM radios
and record
players spread joy and enlightenment throughout the land. . . .
Veterans Pete
and Maura Kennedy got the very good idea of gathering a bunch of fine
songs by
other writers, some if not all of them from the mid-1960s even though
every one
of them could have been. Among the latter is the late Gene Clark's
hypnotic
biker ballad ‘Gypsy Rider’. . .
Though I knew Webb’s ‘
“. . . Maura’s luscious vocals and Pete’s sensational acoustic and electric guitar work are front and center . . . Pete conjures up subtle, intricate and gorgeous arrangements . . . Context, and balls, are writ large, but while they’ve set the bar pretty high in places . . . they clear it comfortably . . ."– John Conquest, 3rd Coast Music
“An interesting showstopper here is their take on John
Stewart’s ‘Jasmine.’ Maura perfectly captures Stewart’s inflection and phrasing
and Pete has Stewart’s high tech folk guitar picking down as well. They nicely
combine reverence with relevance on that track, then come back and do it again
on mentor Nanci Griffith’s ‘Late Night Grande Hotel.’ It's an offbeat concept
for a record but it works, just like they do. Check it out.
“You learn a lot about a performer by their choice of cover
material, and on Songs of the Open Road the Kennedys supply a complete syllabus
of their major musical influences . . . . The Kennedys apply their jangly brand
of roots-pop to a veritable pantheon of important American songwriters . . .
making a rollicking good time almost inevitable. Maura’s lead vocals ride over
a dense mix that combines Pete's electric 12-string guitar with an acoustic
6-string, mini-electric, sitar, ukulele, banjo, organ, glockenspiel, drums, and
bass. . . . The Kennedy's music has an infectious bounce guaranteed to elevate
your mood and banish all but the blackest depressive haze. Songs of the Open Road is
way cheaper than a prescription of Valium and just as effective. I'll take two,
please."– Steven Stone, Vintage
Guitar Magazine
“. . . An album of folk standards not altogether unlike that great Matthew Sweet/Susannah Huff’s album but more folky, and with really great guitar work from the great Pete Kennedy. Excellent song selection too.” – Eric Alterman, MSNBC.com
“Pete is a talented, multi-instrumentalist with a long list
of studio credits, including work with Nanci Griffith. Maura Kennedy does most
of the vocals. She has one of the loveliest voices in any genre of music. . . .
The Kennedys offer great treatments of
Dylan’s ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ and Gram Parson’s “Sin City,” but the best
tune here is their version of Bob Neuwirth’s ‘Eyes On the Road.’ They also
revive the Jimmy Webb classic, ‘Galveston,’ and though the arrangement is not
much different than Glen Campbell's version, Maura Kennedy makes it sound fresh
and enjoyable again after all these years. The duo also do great justice to
songs from Griffith, John Stewart, Victoria Williams and others. Concept albums
like this work sometimes, and sometimes they don’t. This one most certainly
works, and it's hard to put down. A definite winner.”
“. . . Pete and Maura’s harmonies blend well to provide a distinctive voice. . . . The duo covers the late Dave Carter’s ‘Gypsy rose’ and ‘Happytown (All Right with Me)’ with love and respect, the former bristling with power and the latter passionately delivered. Much to be savored here; energized renderings of Nick Lowe’s ‘Raging Eyes’ and Gene Clark’s ‘Gypsy Rider,’ not to mention a sensitive reading of Jimmy Webb’s classic ‘Galveston’ complete a satisfying country-rock experience."– Kevin Matthews, AmplifierMagazine.com
“…The sources for these tunes are as varied as they are
tasteful . . . Although the Kennedys’ feel-good originals are missed here,
‘Songs of the
“In addition to the duo being one of the most visually and
acoustically pleasing performers on the folk circuit, Pete and Maura Kennedy
are also accomplished songwriters. They also have some of the best ears for
music and often incorporate others songs into their performances. On this new
CD, they give us their first all-covers collection. I’ve noticed that many
contemporary musicians seem to be hesitant about covering the songs of others,
but the Kennedys show us it is possible to offer something unique and
personally expressive. That is the essence of folk music. . . . A number of
classic songs are explored by the Kennedys such as the Byrd’s ‘Eight Mile’s
High,’ Dylan’s ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,’ Nick Lowe’s ‘Raging Eyes.’ There
are also a number of songs that have rarely been recorded by others such as
Gene Clark’s ‘Gypsy Rider,’ Gram Parson’s ‘
“Following eight splendid discs of mostly-original material
(albeit heavily influenced by shared affections for Buddy Holly, The Beatles,
The Byrds and Fairport Convention), The Kennedys have assembled 14 shimmering,
stylistically varied cover tunes for Songs of the Open Road.
Throughout,
Maura provides rhythm guitar and some of the prettiest, clear-water
vocals to
be found anywhere, with Pete delivering close harmonies, jaw-dropping
guitar
leads and all other instrumentation (save for an accordion cameo by
Radoslav
Lorkovic on Bob Neuwirth’s ‘Eye on the Road’). . . .
[T]his luminous act imbues
each track with passion, obvious affection and deep-rooted musicality.
Terrific songs beautifully played and sung – now that's the
ticket."– Jim Musser, GoIowaCity.com
“Dynamic singing/strumming duo The Kennedys put their mark
on the likes of Jimmy Webb’s ‘
“The Kennedys’ voices blend like all those who spend most of
their time together, with backing instruments so strong and seamless there’s
not enough room to slip a piece of paper between them. As recent so-called
concept albums go, this is on a short list of the best, for all the right
reasons: the songs fit them and they fit the songs. . . . Some things are best
when they’re good and broken-in.”– Bill Bentley,
“Songs of the Open Road collects 14 of [The Kennedys’] favorite
road songs. This is their first recording of all cover songs – and the
selection shows good taste. There are tunes written or made popular by the
Byrds, Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons, Victoria Williams and Nanci Griffith. Others
among the set are just as good and truly fit the duo’s gentle blend of folk,
rock, country, pop and gospel. Mahalia
“During the past
decade, The Kennedys have logged a half-million miles performing their
uplifting brand of countrified folk-pop. For their latest, the husband-and-wife
duo take a respite from penning original material and instead offer sterling
versions of their favorite travel songs. Decades past and present are
represented, but the emphasis is on the West Coast folk-rock that prevailed in
the ’60s. On the Byrds’ ‘Eight Miles High,’ for instance, the psychedelic
jangle of the original remains intact, but Maura Kennedy’s yearning soprano and
Pete Kennedy’s close harmony add to the transcendence. Similarly, the elegant
restraint that fuels ‘
“I can hardly stop playing Songs of the Open Road,
the Kennedys’ ninth CD, nor can I figure how I missed the previous eight! The
collection contains powerful renditions of 14 folk-rock classics, including ‘A
Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ and ‘Eight Miles High.’ The couple reinvigorates the
romantic American soul as the ’50s/’60s folk revival demanded new songs for a
new world. They avoid stale nostalgia and imitation by combining their unique
talents with verve and vitality. . . . Maura Kennedy’s lead singing, engaging
and confident, sounds as if she’s feeling her way word by word yet as if she
could do these tunes in her sleep. Pete Kennedy plays so many instruments you’d
think he’s afraid to let anyone else near Maura. And it’s just the two of them,
except for one accordion credit. But Pete does a fine job. Variety isn’t
lacking, but it’s more in the song selection than in the arrangements. The
uniformity gives the pair a distinctive style. . . . their spontaneity
contributes more than perfectionism would. I don’t keep close tabs on every CD
that comes my way, but this one’s going in the safe-deposit box!”– David J Cantor, SoundStage.com
For more information on The
Kennedys, to arrange an interview or to request a copy of “Songs of the Open
Road” or a jpg, please contact Alan Edwards at Appleseed Recordings: (ph/fax)
215-628-4562), (e-mail: Joevinyl@aol.com), or KC Houser at The
Granata Agency: (ph) 303-946-3822, (e-mail) KC@GranataAgency.com