Kenny Edwards

It is about time Kenny Edwards commanded a headlining show at SOhO,
for there are a few singer songwriters in town with the resume, musical
armory, or sheer elegance as Edwards. Having been a foundation within the
Stone Poneys for many years, Edwards then went on to be a sidekick for
Linda Ronstadt when she went solo. Add to that collaborations with the
likes of Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, and Emmylou Harris, and
you soon get a sense of his musical might. While Edwards' is certainly an
impressive resume, not even that can measure up to spending an evening
in the company of the man and his guitar.
Kenny Edwards at SOhO on Tuesday night. Photograph by Brett Leigh Dicks.
Having released his self-titled solo album back in 2002, Edwards continues
to go from strength to strength in terms of both writing and perfomring. Take
“Misery and Happiness” for instance. Armed with simply his trusty mandolin,
the song breaks its recorded shackles and literally explodes into life on
stage. At the other end of the emotion spectrum resides “No Tears”, a
gentle ballad sung with a perfect hint of sweet regret. In the live arena, Edwards’ songs flow effortlessly from the stage with both passion and
purpose.
While we constantly see Edwards with a guitar in his hand and offering
stringed support to local musicians such as Glen Phillips, Natalie D-
Napoleon, Rich Phillips, and Julie Christensen, we aren’t treated to nearly
enough of his own performances. Let’s hope that last night’s performance is
a long overdue precursor to just that. Kenny Edwards is a singer songwriter
of the purest persuasion - one who not only gives so freely of his music, but
also of himself. And that is something well worth seeing much more of. - Santa Barbara Independent

“This house never seemed so small, but there's nobody in it. It's going to fade away to nothing at all If it's a battle; who's going to win it...” From “Gotta Let It Go”

* Best known for producing, writing and performing with others, Kenny Edwards released his first album in August of 2002…

* "In all the years of playing music and making records I've never considered myself a solo artist. I've worked with other artists whose songs and voices are so good that I always devoted my self to bringing out the best in their music…"

* Both the above quotes are from Kenny’s web site. So, can a man who normally “does” for others hack it in the solo stakes? The simple answer is “Yes!” Previous to this solo effort, Kenny has worked for the likes of (deep breath): - Linda Ronstadt, Rita Coolidge, Ian Matthews, Andrew Gold, Albert Brooks, Tom Pacheco, J D Souther, Don Henley & Warren Zevon ~ to name but a few!

* Vocally, Kenny reminds me a bit of Bruce Hornsby. Musically Kenny’s acoustic guitar driven songs have a rocky edge to them ~ many featuring simple riffs and/or repeated chord sequences that power the tracks along. “Gotta Let It Go” and “In My Dream” are prime examples of this almost hypnotic approach…

* Throughout this recording, Kenny is ably abetted by producer Freddy Koella on various instruments ~ he adds depth and colour to the arrangements in the same manner as Jim Weider does for Tom Pacheco. To prove my point, listen out for some ferocious slide guitar from Freddy on “Statesboro Blues” and juxtapose that with his delicate violin lines on “The Way I Love You”…

* The quality of the songs and performances featured here are of a very high standard. I particularly liked “The Sky Keeps Falling” with it’s insistent bass line and perfectly timed backbeat courtesy of Freddy. Parts of this track remind me a bit of Bad Company’s “Feel Like Making Love” ~ particularly the intro and verse sequences…

* Other highlights on this fine album are the Bluesy “Misery & Happiness” and the reflective “Not In This Life”. Kenny’s mandolin playing on the former and his singing on the latter both being exemplary…

* The album closes with another tour de force, the up tempo “Gone Again” ~ a laidback tale of a constantly absent woman! There’s nice background vocals on this track, courtesy of Wendy Waldman + a some meaty acoustic guitar work from Kenny…

* It’s great to see this noted sides-man coming to the fore with his own excellent solo outing. Recorded and released in 2002, let’s hope it’s not too long before Kenny treats us to another quality listening experience like this one. A superb album…


“Kenny Edwards” was reviewed by Dave

Star Ratings: ****

Top Track(s): “Gotta Let It Go”, “The Sky Keeps Falling” & “Statesboro Blues”

Originally released in 2002 on Fireheart Productions - Fair Oaks Music