Pete Kennedy is not to be confused with the Nashville-based Irish singer-songwriter of the same name. This Pete originates from Northern Virginia and to date his musical reputation rests primarily on his work with The Kennedys, a long running Alt.Country duo comprising him and wife Maura.
With Maura off making a couple of solo albums of her own he, not unreasonably, has decided to follow suit with his first album under his own name for over two decades.
From the album title, and the fact that it was written over a series of early morning sessions in an East Village diner, it comes as no great surprise to find that it is an extended love letter to the Big Apple : "The city is one great soul - that enfolds us and makes us whole" he enthuses on the track unambiguously titled New York.
Recorded in his Manhattan studio, Kennedy plays all the instruments on a dozen affectionate diary-like reflections of one man's experience of life in this city.
|
The opening song, Union Square places him the good company of Cole Porter, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg while Never Stopped Believin' tells a 'no regrets' tale of how he hitched his way to NYC after leaving his home at the tender age of 15.
With most of the tracks lasting just three minutes, the album more direct, pop orientated feel than The Kennedys.
Modest, honest and refreshingly unpretentious, this song cycle is a personal and personable collection about one man finding his place in the world.
Pete Kennedy's website
|
