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Mo Kenney is a singer/songwriter from Nova
Scotia, who has been releasing music since
2012, but From Nowhere is only
the fifth release. So, not the most productive
musician, but five albums in thirteen years is
a decent work load.
I have never heard anything from Kenney
before. Well, to the best of my knowledge that
is. Kenney's music is a sort of delicate
country folk music with a hint of pop thrown
in. The vocals are nice, but in a way are
generic female singer-songwriter vocals, even
though Kenney identifies as non-binary. Not to
say that the voice is bad or weak, just that I
would have trouble picking Kenney's singing
out of a crowd.
That said, there really is a crowded world of
girl-voiced singer/songwriters out there. I
swear I get three or four promos from such
musicians every month. And, well, Kenney
stands out from the crowd in overall effect,
if not in uniqueness of voice.
It's the overall effect that I like.
According to the limited liner notes I
received with the promo, Kenny plays with a
keyboardist name Siobhan Martin and a drummer
named Jordan Murphy, and apparently Kenney
does the bulk of the music.
That's pretty impressive, because I really
like the basswork on this record. That's not
something I normally say in the
singer/songwriter genre, where bass is usually
not a central instrument, but Kenney does a
good job.
The record starts off with shuffling drums,
piano, and picked guitar on the vaguely
country Bad Times. The voice is very
pretty and delicate here. Evening Dream
is a little more forceful, with some intense
strumming. The music backing the voice really
shines.
But Signs of Life is a more
minimalist tune with flat drumming alongside
the guitar. But then the bass comes in, and
the whole things gets catchier. I like the
first chorus, where the drum beat seems to
almost loop and the vocals are repeated over
and over, like a moment of rave music in the
middle of a folk song. A neat effect.
The other real standout is next, the title
track for the record. From Nowhere has
a great melody in voice and guitar, along with
an organ drone, a walking bass riff, and
tapped drums. This song shuffles along in a
very engaging way.
Kenney really channels Nashville on Honey
Come Home, with picked guitar and a
faint organ drone. However, at one point
Kenney sings, "I'm waiting by the phone",
which almost seems like an anachronism in a
era where everyone has a phone with them all
of the time.
She stays in Nashville mode for Self
Doubt, with a rolling piano riff and
some picked guitar. That's Not Me has
a rumbling bassline and sparkling piano.
Kenney sings, "You don't know me and you don't
care", which is a pretty brutal line. The fun
of the music belies the despair that line
implies.
With You has another fun beat, and Love
You Better, where Kenney sounds
breathier than usual. A fine ending to the
album.
And this is an enjoyable album. Kenny's not
reinventing anything, but there is some good
wordplay, and good instrumentation.
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