Leoni Jane Kennedy – Synthetic
In 2023 progressive influenced singer-guitarist-songwriter Leoni Jane Kennedy released her first album New World Woman.
An acoustic covers collection in tribute to Canadian rock and prog luminaries Rush, the album was well received by critics and Rush fans alike.
However, her debut album should actually have been an all-original release called Synthetic, which had been in the pipeline for four years to that point.
Sadly, various issues and ill-fated circumstances, none of her own making, put Synthetic on the back burner; hence debuting with New World Woman.
But, after revisiting the tracks over the last couple of years, releasing a clutch of them as singles and backed by a successful Kickstarter campaign, Synthetic, with valuable assistance from Eliot Kennedy of Steelwork Studios (production, mixing & mastering), and musician Nick Andrew (who also co-produced) has become a musical reality.
And it’s been worth the going back to spend more time on it wait.
Opening number 'Synthetic' builds and shape-shifts from rhythmic, soulful beginnings to become something akin to cinematic or widescreen prog, complete with a lyric that speaks of channelling thoughts, ideas and emotions into a single, creative element (in this case music).
That said, Leoni Jane Kennedy’s reaffirming vocal cries of "I am alive!" toward the song’s orchestral conclusion (courtesy of Nick Andrew’s guitar-synth/ midi strings) is anything but synthetic.
A powerful and impressive opening statement.
'Closer' is clothed in bluesy-prog soulfulness but it also comes equipped with some delicate guitar accentuations, interesting time-changes and clever vocal arrangements (a trait of the album).
Lyrically, 'Closer' points to the dangers of isolation (the song was written during the Covid pandemic), making Leoni Jane Kennedy’s plaintive cries of "I wanna feel alive again!" all the more impacting.
There's a nice sense of dynamics at play in 'Sloe,' which lyrically points the finger at drunk driving.
Starting downtempo and moody, the song takes a rhythmic shift to a higher gear before returning to the more delicate verses; the cleverly arranged number also sports a short, jazzier part.
That a lot of thought has also gone into the vocals, including phrasing and cadence, is underlined by the delivery of the word "Sloe" (in rhythmic unison with drums and guitar) and a vocal sign-off that’s part scat-jazz part YES-pop.
There’s a similar vocal intro to 'Jesse,' a lovely, soulful number about the bond Leoni Jane Kenendy has with her friend Jesse Hoff (of Lazy J Amplification).
The guitar solo on 'Jesse' complements the song nicely, but such six-string excursions are relatively few on Synthetic (while Kennedy is a very good lead player, it's more about the sounds and textures created).
The clever change-ups and directional shifts that grace 'Test The Waters' remind of the sort of song Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser would bring to Blue Öyster Cult in the eighties (no bad thing #1), albeit here with a more modern edge.
A short solo in the early going has the "Buck" touch, but a later, transitional burst of lead guitar is straight from the Book Of Lifeson (no bad thing #2).
The slow-sway of 'Different Kind Of Woman,' which lyrically moves from self-doubt and insecurity to transformative self-realisation, features a heavier, rock styled C Section that could, musically, be expressing that positive transformation into the person you know you should be.
Telling a similar, self-reflective story is final number, strings-backed heavy (in more ways than one) ballad 'Temple.'
Written by Leoni Jane Kennedy when she was only thirteen, the darker shaded 'Temple' has been reworked for the present-day, with Kennedy looking back at who she was then, to who she is now.
'Temple' also leads to the observation that while the album has been some seven years in the making and completing, the process really started with a thirteen-year-old Leoni Jane Kennedy who, some twelve years later, has finished the story her younger self started.
And rest assured there’s plenty of new, all-original chapters to come.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
An acoustic covers collection in tribute to Canadian rock and prog luminaries Rush, the album was well received by critics and Rush fans alike.
However, her debut album should actually have been an all-original release called Synthetic, which had been in the pipeline for four years to that point.
Sadly, various issues and ill-fated circumstances, none of her own making, put Synthetic on the back burner; hence debuting with New World Woman.
But, after revisiting the tracks over the last couple of years, releasing a clutch of them as singles and backed by a successful Kickstarter campaign, Synthetic, with valuable assistance from Eliot Kennedy of Steelwork Studios (production, mixing & mastering), and musician Nick Andrew (who also co-produced) has become a musical reality.
And it’s been worth the going back to spend more time on it wait.
Opening number 'Synthetic' builds and shape-shifts from rhythmic, soulful beginnings to become something akin to cinematic or widescreen prog, complete with a lyric that speaks of channelling thoughts, ideas and emotions into a single, creative element (in this case music).
That said, Leoni Jane Kennedy’s reaffirming vocal cries of "I am alive!" toward the song’s orchestral conclusion (courtesy of Nick Andrew’s guitar-synth/ midi strings) is anything but synthetic.
A powerful and impressive opening statement.
'Closer' is clothed in bluesy-prog soulfulness but it also comes equipped with some delicate guitar accentuations, interesting time-changes and clever vocal arrangements (a trait of the album).
Lyrically, 'Closer' points to the dangers of isolation (the song was written during the Covid pandemic), making Leoni Jane Kennedy’s plaintive cries of "I wanna feel alive again!" all the more impacting.
There's a nice sense of dynamics at play in 'Sloe,' which lyrically points the finger at drunk driving.
Starting downtempo and moody, the song takes a rhythmic shift to a higher gear before returning to the more delicate verses; the cleverly arranged number also sports a short, jazzier part.
That a lot of thought has also gone into the vocals, including phrasing and cadence, is underlined by the delivery of the word "Sloe" (in rhythmic unison with drums and guitar) and a vocal sign-off that’s part scat-jazz part YES-pop.
There’s a similar vocal intro to 'Jesse,' a lovely, soulful number about the bond Leoni Jane Kenendy has with her friend Jesse Hoff (of Lazy J Amplification).
The guitar solo on 'Jesse' complements the song nicely, but such six-string excursions are relatively few on Synthetic (while Kennedy is a very good lead player, it's more about the sounds and textures created).
The clever change-ups and directional shifts that grace 'Test The Waters' remind of the sort of song Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser would bring to Blue Öyster Cult in the eighties (no bad thing #1), albeit here with a more modern edge.
A short solo in the early going has the "Buck" touch, but a later, transitional burst of lead guitar is straight from the Book Of Lifeson (no bad thing #2).
The slow-sway of 'Different Kind Of Woman,' which lyrically moves from self-doubt and insecurity to transformative self-realisation, features a heavier, rock styled C Section that could, musically, be expressing that positive transformation into the person you know you should be.
Telling a similar, self-reflective story is final number, strings-backed heavy (in more ways than one) ballad 'Temple.'
Written by Leoni Jane Kennedy when she was only thirteen, the darker shaded 'Temple' has been reworked for the present-day, with Kennedy looking back at who she was then, to who she is now.
'Temple' also leads to the observation that while the album has been some seven years in the making and completing, the process really started with a thirteen-year-old Leoni Jane Kennedy who, some twelve years later, has finished the story her younger self started.
And rest assured there’s plenty of new, all-original chapters to come.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ