Headwinds
Self-Released, 2023
9/10
The folk-rock duo of Pete and Maura Kennedy, as The Kennedys the pair use plenty of guitar licks, gospel moments and rich roots ideas for this first listen of original songs in 5 years.
“A New Set Of Wheels” opens the listen Maura’s bright and harmonic singing alongside the firm acoustic strumming and Vince Santoro’s agile drumming, and the intimate pedal steel of “Late September Breeze” follows and finds itself in gorgeous balladry.
Further along, “The Boy From The East River Shore” welcomes crisp folk-rock that’s plenty melodic, while “Little Green Bottles” uses precisely picked guitar for a retro-spirit that’s as charming as it is memorable.
Approaching the end, “Yolanda” is a soft and dreamy moment of pretty acoustic guitar and glowing vocal harmonies, and “Waging Peace” exits with gentle, expressive singing in the bare but impactful finish.
Maura and Pete began writing and touring 30 years ago in Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra, and now 16 albums into their own music, they’re keeping the sounds of timeless folk music alive thanks to their sharp multi-instrumentalist skills and lovely singing.
Travels well with: Buttercup- Grand Marais; Julian Taylor- Beyond The Reservoir