Liz Kennedy - Hike Up Your Socks
Liz Kennedy has carved out an indelible reputation
as a formidable singer/songwriter/storyteller and her songs often fall in the
realm of Americana, Folk and AAA (Adult Album Alternative) music. It scarcely
encompasses what she does, however. This isn’t a collection of blues songs with
all the predictable changes but a textured and superbly produced affair that
covers the gamut of roots music influences while still showing off a distinctly
modern flair. The album is produced by Kennedy’s longtime collaborator Joel Jaffe,
known for his work at Studio D in Sausalito, California, a host to legendary
recordings from artists as diverse as Bonnie Raitt and Carlos Santana. The
conditions are ripe for Kennedy to produce a first rate collection and
recording – she doesn’t disappoint. Hike Up Your Socks is one of the most
complete musical experiences released in recent memory.
It begins well with the track “Everyone Knows How
It Goes”. This is evocative, artfully handled blues with more than a few
traditional elements accentuating the feel and a great vocal duet between
Kennedy and guest star Taj Mahal. His gruff, heartfelt bellow pairs up with
Kennedy’s voice in an unexpectedly successful way and his musical contributions
to the piece, namely his banjo playing, brings more musicality to the
proceedings. “Attention” is a less cluttered blues than the opener but the
atmosphere, in many ways, remains just as strong. The lyric is one of many
sharply written texts Kennedy calls upon for Hike Up Your Socks’ songs. She has
a lot of variation in her vocal delivery, despite favoring the blues, and that
versatility serves her songs well. “Say the Words” is another deeply affecting
lyric this time turned to the service of a pop song and the gentle ballad she
concocts is one of the best moments on this album. Kennedy gives one of her
most sensitive vocals on the album.
“Love Gave Me Away” features Taj Mahal’s
contributions once again, this time via his harmonica playing, and it brings
even more color to an already soulful piece. The relaxed gait of this tune
makes it all the more likeable, as well, and Kennedy gives us a vocal that
matches the song’s graceful swing. “Hello Romance” is a generally bright and
hopeful tune with a lot of welcome musical substance. The arrangement shifts
tempo at a few key points in the performance and the band never misses a step.
This song, like the other tracks included with this release, have a strongly
live, intimate feel and few songs make better use of that attribute than this
one. The title song is the album’s musical magnum opus, a twisting composition
with strong internal logic and a layered mix that renders multiple instruments
with an ear turned towards balance. It is one of the more memorable personal
statements, as well, that Kennedy seems to make on this album. The backing
vocals are more limited than usual and the mood more muted on “The Signs”; it’s
just another indication of Kennedy’s stylistic dexterity that she can so
convincingly inhabit a variety of sonic landscapes and seem quite at home in
them all. Hike Up Your Socks is as complete of an effort as Kennedy could hope
for at such a point in her career. This is the point, customarily, when
artists’ careers show a perceptible slowing down or else slip into stagnation.
There’s no danger of that with Liz Kennedy.
Craig Bowles
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