Search - Kennedys :: Evolver

Evolver
Kennedys
Evolver
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (15) - Disc #1

Rave-ready drum loops, percolating synthesizers, 12-string Rickenbackers, vocal overlays, and funky bass lines--Evolver isn't your grandpa's folk music. In truth, the Kennedys aren't playing folk at all. Taken on their own...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Kennedys
Title: Evolver
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Zoe Records
Original Release Date: 1/11/2000
Release Date: 1/11/2000
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Indie & Lo-Fi, Traditional Folk, Contemporary Folk, Adult Alternative
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 601143100925

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Rave-ready drum loops, percolating synthesizers, 12-string Rickenbackers, vocal overlays, and funky bass lines--Evolver isn't your grandpa's folk music. In truth, the Kennedys aren't playing folk at all. Taken on their own unapologetically bubble-gum terms, however, Maura and Pete's pop can be charming in a hum-and-forget manner. Opener "Pick You Up" sounds like the Bangles. "Good Morning Groovy" is postmodern go-go featuring some hot Dobro from David Hamburger. "Mr. Lucky Man" is an ecstatic freak-out, while "Here Without You" is a credibly dreamy Bryds cover, and the catchy "Can't Kill Hope with a Gun" could be covered by Britney Spears. Don't expect the Kennedys to offer songs to live by, unless a line like "Catch a star and slide down a rainbow" is your idea of desideratum. Even if its title alludes to one of the Fab Four's most ambitious records, Evolver satisfactorily serves up danceable, candied pop music. --Roy Kasten

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CD Reviews

Blissful pop-rock from an ace folk-rock duo
01/14/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first discovered the Kennedys (a duo of husband/wife Pete and Maura Kennedy) by taking a chance on a CD I read Peter Holsapple of the dB's played on (their 2nd, "Life Is Large"). Sometimes you get lucky - it didn't leave my CD player for months. The hooks had hooks! Their next album was much more of a traditional folk outing, but on Evolver they return to pop-rock fleshed out with a full band and a new batch of some of the must hummable songs since the first Katrina and the Waves lp. If you're a fan of this stuff I'd definitely recommend taking a chance on this - more likely than not you'll be wanting to hear their back catalog."
A 48-Minute Breath of Fresh Air
dev1 | Baltimore | 04/19/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's impossible not to fall head over heels for Maura and Pete Kennedy. Maura is as sweet as cotton candy. In the cute and adorable category, Maura's voice rates with that of Nancy Griffith and Dar Williams. Every line is flirtatious.Pete has taken the best traits of Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), and wove them into one dazzling blend of ringing-jangling acoustic and electric guitars. I doubt that Pete Kennedy has only 10 fingers. His technique is so intricate that he must have 3 hands. With the greatest respect for Roger McGuinn, the12-string Rickenbacker has never sounded more delightful (Can't Kill Hope With A Gun). `Good Morning Groovy' is filled with shining synthesizers. Maura's charming voice is most effective on the touching ballad `Never Learn.' And the cover of Gene Clark's (The Byrds) `Here Without You' is painfully nostalgic. The rocker on Evolver is `Free' - Pete cuts loose on the drum kit.Evolver is cheerful and uplifting (Put Your Mind). A 48-minute breath of fresh air. Get happy, get the Kennedys, get Evolver."
Evolving
Robert Kennedy | 02/14/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Kennedys (no relation) are the best thing happening in folk-rock today, and "evolver" marks a welcome shift to the rock end of the spectrum after Angel Fire's coffee house folk. All of the trademark elements are here: Maura's distinctive, remarkably clear vocals and Pete's virtuoso guitar work. This time the arrangements are much fuller; they've been rounded out with synths, drums and even loops (!). The result is a consistent, hook-filled album on par with "Life is Large". The sunny approach may not be for the cynic. But if you revere the Byrds more than the Stones -- or just need a fix of 12-string -- this album's for you."