Search - Kevn Kinney :: Macdougal Blues

Folksinging about Folksingers

L. B. Wisner | Knoxville, TN | 06/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the deep breath before his band's plunge into full-bore rock-n-roll, drivin n cryin frontman Kevn Kinney tapped into his back catalogue for this fine folk debut, presenting an album that's self-conscious about itself as a folksinger record and that generally succeeds both in carrying the torch of his idols and in giving us the unique songwriter and musician on his own terms. Backed by his regular band in an unplugged format and produced by Peter Buck of rem, Kinney comes on like the Dylan disciple he is, echoing the style of Bob's first three records, with helpings of influences such as John Prine. But it's the idiosyncratic and often whimsical storytelling which sets Kevn apart, from the "it ain't all it's cracked up to be" look at the NYC folk scene on the title cut, the Alan Lomax meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind tale of "Last Song of Maddie Hope," and the lost love Simon and Garfunkel rip-off "Chico and Maria." Varying from fun acoustic rave-ups like "Meatloaf and Fishsticks" to confessional stories such as "Not Afraid to Die," Kinney shows himself to be a mature, witty, and talented folksinger."

Sparse Lyrical Modernism

Mr Donald Whitaker | The Top | 12/17/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a suberb debut solo effort from the lead singer of Georgia's Drivin''n'Cryin' 'n 'n. Folkier than their stuff but with the same grit and realistic humour. Kevn has been quiet for a while now but new stuff is eagerly awaited, here at least."

A Long Lost Favorite Has Returned!

Julie Julie Julie T. | Milwaukee, US of A | 06/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kevn Kinney's Mac Dougal Blues has always been one of my all-time favorite albums. It's been out of print for so many years but I never gave up hoping it would someday return.



Kevn's voice is amazing: an explosive heartbroke howl tears through and skids straight into a scorch-throated whisper, soothing, sad and sweet. From the tongue-in-cheek earnestness of the title track to the simple story of new love in "Chico & Maria", Kevn's lyrics tell tales of heartache and beauty with such plainspoken blue-collar honesty that their eloquence comes as a surprise. Along with songs of the workingman's desperate striving there's a heapin' helpin' of twisted cartoon humor in "The House Above Tina's Grocery" and "Hey Landlord". Lots of good stuff here."