The Kennedys- Songs of the Open Road (2006) Reviews & Press Quotes:
“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 (‘Sin City’). In addition to the folk-rock of the ’60s, the Kennedys show a penchant for '70s troubadours such as John Stewart (‘Jasmine’) and Bob Neuwirth (‘Eye on the Road’). Yet the album’s wild-card eclecticism also includes a transformation of Stephen Stills’s ‘Pretty Girl Why’ into a Brazilian samba, while material that ranges from Nick Lowe’s ‘Raging Eyes’ to Jimmy Webb’s ‘Galveston’ to Mahalia Jackson’s ‘I’m on My Way’ shows that musical inspiration knows no categorical bounds.” – Don McLeese, Amazon.com
“. . . 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 Washington Post
“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.’”– Mike Jurkovic, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
“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 Central New York native Maura’s strident vocals strike home in the scared soldier's tale of longing on Jimmy Webb’s ‘Galveston.’ And there are rarities. Pete’s swampy guitar on Gene Clark’s ‘Gypsy Rider’ wallows in the natural acoustic wonder, and Maura’s sunny vocals warm all on the late Dave Carter’s ‘Happytown (All Right With Me)’. . . . The piece that says it best, though, is Mahalia Jackson’s ‘I'm on My Way’ with its deep and glorious spirit.” – Mark Bialczak, The Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY
“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 Americana explorations, but even those unfamiliar with their exceptional sound will discover this to be a perfect roots rock primer.
– Lee Zimmerman, South Florida’s Entertainment News & Views
“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’. . . Clark may be recalled by some as a first-generation Byrd. Other names are more or less household . . . while others are there in varying degrees of recognizability: Nanci Griffith, John Stewart, Dave Carter, Nick Lowe, Gram Parsons and Bob Neuwirth. Whoever the composer, whatever the song, however, the quality never falters. . . . Their affection for the material is pure . . . .
Though I knew Webb’s ‘Galveston’ from the 1969 Glen Campbell hit, The Kennedys alert all within hearing that it's actually a much better song . . . than you may recall if you were around back then. I am pleased to make the acquaintance of a couple of terrific Carter tunes (‘Gypsy Rose’ and the delirious faux-Dylan ‘Happytown’) as well as Lowe’s ‘Raging Eyes.’ Just about any Stewart song, even a sad one, lifts my spirits, and ‘Jasmine’ soars. . . . Maura plays acoustic guitar and sings, backed by harmony vocalist Pete with a staggering range of mostly stringed instruments, all in service to the songs and never a false note.– Jerome Clark, Rambles.net
“. . . 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.– Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap
“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.” – George Haunenstein, Country Standard Time
“. . . 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 Open Road’ makes great car music."– Michael Parrish, Dirty Linen
“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 ‘Sin City,’ and Nanci Griffith’s ‘Late Night Grande Hotel.’ While all these songs have strong identification with other artists, the Kennedys make them their own. One of the songs that stood out for me was Jimmy Webb’s “Galveston”. The words of a soldier missing his girl have a special poignancy that the Kennedys capture. Their take on John Stewart’s “Jasmine” capture the pull of “the road”, a calling that the Kennedys have shared for well over a decade. While maintaining the gospel roots of Mahalia Jackson’s “I’m On My Way”, the Kennedys offers the piece as a rocking anthem. . . . The emotions that the Kennedys explore in their music make them a ‘must-see’ wherever they perform, and this CD is a definite ‘must-listen’!” – Ron Olesko, Folk Music Notebook, RonOlesko.blogspot.com
“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 ‘Galveston,’ The Byrds’ ‘Eight Miles High,’ the Flying Burrito Bros. ‘Sin City’ and Bob Dylan’s eternally apt ‘A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall’ . . .” – Jonathan Takiff, Philadelphia Daily News
“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, Studio City, CA., Sun
“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 Jackson’s ‘I'm on My Way’ is a gem, as is Bob Neuwirth’s ‘Eye on the Road’ (‘We're picking up speed, but we're losing the light’ – and doesn't anybody on the road know that feeling?). Pete Kennedy's production gives it all a warm, rich sound . . .” – Jim Carnes, Sacramento Bee
“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 ‘Galveston’ adds subtle power to this Jimmy Webb classic. Other high points include a glycerin-smooth bossa nova treatment of Stephen Stills’ ‘Pretty Girl Why’ and a majestic version of the late Dave Carter’s ‘Gypsy Rose, but truth is there’s not a stumble to be found on this superb collection."– Russell Hall, Performing Songwriter
“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
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