Pat Kennedy Ramps Up For An Album Release
An upcoming full album release from Pat Kennedy delivers a soulful blend of pop rock, Americana, indie rock, and more, all rolled into this massive record that comes through with such honesty that it gives everything a thick personality. This is a huge aspect of what you end up getting attached to throughout this release.
November 14th, the Table 42 album wastes very little time getting straight to the point with the first track, "Eve".
This is an excellent track to introduce the album with because you're getting some of the staples that the full release portrays.
One of the biggest ones is energy. Not only do you have lush instrumentation, jumping right in with horns, guitars, classic rock style Springsteen style intros, but the whole thing is just infectious, colorful, and unbelievably vibrant.
The horn addition to this track is an amazing thing because the textures and tones of those go so well with the guitars and the way the track opens up after that.
Things sort of calm down a little bit after coming in with that huge climactic intro, and you get into the verses where you start getting a feel for the vocal approach and how that has a certain warmth in its tonality as well.
Pat is a storyteller. There's no other way to put it. These songs tell stories with personal perspective and, at times, great descriptions so that you can paint a picture in your head as tracks unfold.
You start getting a feel for the southern-tinged tones of the twangy guitars, giving off some of that Americana underbelly, and how Pat himself obviously pulls from a slew of influences that range from all the rock, Americana, folk, and everything else that's incorporated throughout this record.
Now, although this first song does a great drop to introduce the record, this is an album that should be listened to in full.
There are more than a few surprises around its corners and some diversity in the songwriting that sheds light even more so on the many influences that Pat holds dear.
Songs like "One Too Many Times" get more personal and showcase some of that rich honesty through a more folk lens. This has a very singer-songwriter approach to it, which really puts you there in the moment, and you can actually hear a lot of the emotional backing that this was built from.
This is what I mean by showcasing personality. There are aspects of this album that let you know he had plenty to get off his chest, and he did so through his music.
There's a massive amount of self-expression throughout this entire thing, and it's all done with a great heart, which is also something you pick up on very quickly.
Vocals can be smooth or super robust. Sometimes you get the more country silk smooth tonality in those vocals, other times you get that more rowdy classic rock approach, and either way, you're getting an earful.
Like I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of surprises going on. There are no two songs that are really too alike. This is beautiful because it always keeps you on your toes.
One of my favorite tracks on this record is called "Freedom", which sort of comes through as a power ballad, in a way.
This track incorporates piano, guitar, horns, and just intense vocals that really wrap themselves around you and keep you right where they want to.
To me, songs like this stick with you. There's a heavy-handed message behind them, and sometimes they can articulate thoughts that you have yourself, but are really unable to express them in the same way. That's why some of these songs sort of blow my mind a bit. To be able to articulate them into words and music is something that really showcases an artist who has attention to detail and probably visions of what these songs are going to be before they're done.
I'm sure that they grow into something bigger as they unfold and as the recording process begins, but you can tell that these are songs that mean something to him and were born from his inner self.
The record is packed with stuff like this. A lot of inner thoughts come spilling out for all to soak up, and I find that very enticing.
So, you have this great indie rock undertone, blended with Americana and Country, Southern hints and aesthetics, but you also get wrapped up in the energy and, at times, intensity of some of the songs.
There are plenty of tracks that are actually danceable, like the title track, 'Table 42".
Now, this track is actually the closing song of the record. It closes the album out and in such a beautiful way because it takes you back to where it began.
This track brings back the robust horns, high energy, vivacious soundscapes, and warm tones, but in a big bright way. This is exactly how the record started, so to have it close out the same way, to me, was awesome.
So, as I mentioned before, listen to this full record. When you listen to it from start to finish, you get the full experience, and I feel like that's what it's meant for.
These songs are like chapters in the artist's life. It's like reading a book. You wouldn't skip chapters in a book, so I wouldn't suggest skipping songs on this record either.
This is for anyone who loves Heartland-style rock music with loads of folk and Americana-infused, along with mounds of personality, honesty, and character.
The full album is set to release on the 14th of November, but you can check out a few of the songs that I mentioned, including "Eve", right now, as those singles are already released.
This should hold you over for the full record. I'm just one of the lucky ones who gets to hear it first.
Still, November 14th isn't that long of a wait, and you can definitely get your head wrapped around the vibes with a track like "Eve".
So, dive into this right now and pre-save the album because you're going to want to drink this one in.
