Stewart Kenny
From Home
Angela Macari O’Looney
Stewart Kenny has a knack for composing beautiful melody lines, touching lyrics and excellent arrangements. This CD is a new collection of songs Stewart has been working on over the last few months.
Thirteen easy going tracks make great listening and his vocals which are light and clear pour out the soulful tracks, or belt out the more upbeat numbers with charisma and the right infusion of harmony.
We Gotta Go
The opening track is a choppy number with a brass section intro. It has a catchy refrain, with a dash of harmony in just the right places. Saxophone features throughout this song and adds personality. I like the enthusiastic lyrics; You gotta move your feet to the beat, dance around all about the street.
A trickling acoustic guitar takes you into Baby’s smile, which is a sweet number composed by Alan Kenny. The lyrics seem to tell the story of the loss of a child and the pain and suffering of the parents. Harmony is wonderful in the simple refrain for the chorus; Please bring back baby’s smile. A guitar solo is performed that’s complex but short.
Piano lends beauty to Come back home, which is a sad love song with a wonderful melody line. The tempo is laid back, with some trickling notation and appealing riffs that add to the momentum.
Two Lives
This song is about relationship struggle and although it begins slowly, it picks up for the second verse. Harmony throughout adds charm to this love song, with instrumentals very appealing too.
In Changing my ways I particularly like the change of pace, when a sweet riff on synth fiddle alters the dynamics. Strings give a big sound and Guitar is really exceptional, with a solo that is probably the highlight for me.
Anne Marie Papin’s lyrics in Is he to blame are very poignant. It’s a melancholic number with harmony delicious. Acoustic guitar chords provide a slow rhythm. Drums and percussion fall in with this rhythm and Stewart’s telling of the dramatic love tale is sung with his usual ease!
An upbeat intro takes you into one of the more cheerful songs on this album.Take me as I am is catchy, with some great electric guitar bits in it. I also love the jazzy tempo, plus piano which also lends to the atmosphere of this really enjoyable piece. It’s jointly composed by Stewart and his wife, Anne Marie Papin. I love how it ends on a gorgeous jazz chord!
Listen to me now is probably one of my favourite songs. It’s choppy, with Stewart’s lyrics hopeful and his vocals powerful. Guitar solo is brilliant and the reggae style rhythm hypnotic. I find it enjoyable and full of enthusiasm.
Calming the mood down again, On my way again has trickling acoustic guitar, a candy sweet melody line and close harmony that lends to the gentle, soothing atmosphere. A solo performed on oboe or clarinet uplifts, as dynamic builds up in this track. Layered harmony towards the end gives this lovely song an ethereal quality.
So it’s not too late
A vibrant piano intro, with a cheerful beat and baseline take you into this song. I like the catchy pop chorus. The mood of the lyrics is one of hope; don’t put out the fire, don’t put out the fire, don’t put out the fire. So it’s not too late. Chord combinations, the resounding guitar riff and musical arrangement in general are excellent. Tommy Kenny jointly composed this song with Stewart. Backing vocals add to the full sound.
Time
Heavenly guitar notation in this song and the philosophical lyrics add to its charm. I also love the elaborate classical style guitar solo. Stewart’s ability to captivate the listener as he sings no matter what the song is, gives him a special-ness that is outstanding!
A jazzy piano intro takes you into Moving along, which is a treat after all the deep and complex songs. It has a bouncy tempo and the melody line is brilliant. I love this number. I particularly love the sweet little hooks on guitar that provide extra character to this fun, finger- clicking piece!
Romantic, soft and seductive, Together involves wonderful jazz guitar, piano and percussion that chops out the sexy Latino style rhythm. It’s a perfect number to finish off a top class set of songs.
I find it difficult to pick a favourite among the songs on this new collection from Stewart. His debut album I’ve fallen so far proved a huge success. From Dublin, he has been composing and performing from a very young age. With the added diverse styles of Anne Marie Papin, Alan and Tommy Kenny, there’s never a dull moment on this latest endeavour, which is easily as entertaining as his first album.
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