Kennedys Life Is Large CD

The sophomore effort from the Kennedys finds the husband-and-wife songwriters developing and refining the slightly raw jangle pop offered on their debut, River of Fallen Stars. This time out the production is a bit bigger and a bit fuller, harking back even more explicitly to the lush 1960s melodicism that is the duo's musical ideal. From the opening title track, their chiming guitars and Maura Kennedy's sweet singing voice invoke the days when paisley was cool and melody was king. "Velvet Glove" and "Life Is Large" both couch a mildly didactic theme in layers of shimmery pop bliss ("Be yourself and stand your ground/Don't let anybody turn you 'round"), but for the most part the Kennedys continue their practice of churning out thoroughly charming pop for pop's sake. "St. Mark's Square" is a tuneful ode to a nonexistent urban neighborhood, "Tribe" is a heartfelt (if kind of sappy) expression of marital solidarity, and "Blackberry Rain" is a wonderful and shameless Beatles ripoff. On this album the duo is joined by a truly amazing list of guest musicians, including obvious choices like Roger McGuinn (of Byrds fame) and Peter Holsapple (formerly of the dBs) and such less obvious ones as country-punk rocker Steve Earle and gospel legends the Dixie Hummingbirds. The lyrics get a bit soft in the middle sometimes ("Baby, look into my eyes/True love never dies/No matter what they say"), but Maura Kennedy is such a winning singer and the group's melodic sense is so solid that it's easy to overlook the occasional maudlin moment. ~ Rick Anderson

THE KENNEDYSPete and Maura Kennedy met at the Continental Club in Austin Texas. In the dark confines of this roots rock sanctuary, they hit it off immediately. Within twenty four hours, they had written their first song, "Day In and Day Out". Pete was playing lead guitar with Nanci Griffith, and he left town for a gig in Telluride, Colorado, a thousand miles northwest of Austin. After the show, they spoke on the phone and agreed to meet at the equidistant point: Lubbock, Texas. They each drove five hundred miles to celebrate their first date at Buddy Holly's grave, in the windy west Texan cotton town.

There was more cause for celebration when Maura joined Ms. Griffith's band and they set out on an extended tour of the British Isles, opening shows all over England, Ireland, and Scotland. In a dusty little dressing room on the top floor of Dublin's Olympia theatre, they penned the songs that would become their first CD, "River of Fallen Stars". The CD was awarded the "Indie" award in 1995 for "Best Adult Contemporary CD" by the National Association of Independent Record Distributors.

In 1995, the duo hit the road to record their second CD, the ambitious "Life is Large", which wove their talents with those of guests Steve Earle, Kelly Willis, Nils Lofgrin, Roger McGuinn, and the Dixie Hummingbirds. They were nominated once again for the NAIRD Indie award, and the title track became their signature song. Their third CD, Angel Fire, was a largely acoustic, lyric driven collection. The following CD, Evolver, was a big, rocking set that included the power pop "Pick You Up". In 2001, they released "Positively Live!' a live album that captured the blistering guitar jams and rocking vibe that set them apart from other acoustic acts.

Even though their name is Kennedy, they don't play Irish music, and even though they wield acoustic guitars (bright orange Gretsch models), they don't really play folk. They have loyal followings in both the pure guitar pop camp and the singer-songwriter set, and they're known not only as a harmonizing duo, but also as collectors of vintage clothes, as independent record and video producers, and as the authors of a newly published book on music video.

So the Kennedys are about music and a little bit more. They're comfortable in a variety of styles ranging from roots rock to ambient etheria, and they write books and produce videos when they're not igniting incendiary GrEntertainment Weekly (5/10/96, p.74) - "...the second album from Washington, D.C.'s Pete and Maura Kennedy is miraculously fresh, with strong echoes of Liverpools Beatles and Lubbock's Buddy Holly....an instant folk-rock classic." - Rating: A