Southern California based Shannon Kennedy is an ambitious linguist but a passionate singer and saxophonist. Her wide-ranging talent has been reflected in numerous projects. As singer she has released the albums Only One (2011) and Behind Your Eyes (2012). With guitarist U-Nam she furthermore collaborated on the projects K.A.S.E. 87, Nivo Deux and Groove Ltd.
As saxophonist she
released
Angel Eyes (2005), Steppin
Up and Never My Love
(2007). Her new album is Back Again (2019). She invited
guest musicians Peter White, Kat Dyson, Chieli Minucci (guitar),
Jordan West, Kurt Hamernick (drums), and Jeff Carlson (bass).
Something by the group Girl's Day is the introduction to
Shannon's new album. Girl's Day was a popular South Korean girl
band founded in 2010. The appealing melody is realized by Shannon
polyphonic and in modern style. Peter White with his acoustic
guitar is responsible for the Spanish coloring.
Shannon's
distinct compositional talent shows on her first own piece
Midnight Express accompanied by Jordan West's powerful
drumbeats. The title song convinces with powerful energy and
conclusive concept. Saxes in multi-layers combined with a
thrilling keyboard motif are the bangers.
Shannon does
not disregard this successful formula for the following aptly
titled piece Attention. The original was written and
recorded by singer Charlie Puth in 2018. With its deep bass and the wah-wah guitar Letting Me Go has some melancholic traits.
Shannon can act very emotionally with her saxophone.
On Tell It Like It Is Shannon is blowing anew
infectiously with great verve and a keen sense of drama. Ocean
Drive is a street in South Beach, the southern part of Miami
Beach, Florida. It is known for its Art Deco hotels and is the
subject of numerous songs. In this case the template is a song by
British DJ and record producer Duke Dumont, and featuring vocals
by Boy Matthew. Shannon's synthesizer emphasized version reminds
me of the music of Orchestral Maneuvers in The Dark.
Buy the album in all stores
What I
will remember from the song Mad, Crazy Love is the heavy
beat/bass and Chieli Minucci's furious ride on guitar. She cannot
resist temptation. Where Is the Love is Shannon's vocal
contribution. Rolling in the Deep was Adele's fulminant
crossover hit in 2010 selling more than 20 millions copies
worldwide. Shannon's rendition creeps into the pulse of the
borderline rupture of this song.
With Back Again
Shannon Kennedy offers a balanced collection of own compositions
and exquisite covers. She successfully continues her earlier work
and consolidates her position as a recognized saxophonist in the
smooth jazz genre.
Album Information
Title: Back Again
Artist: Shannon Kennedy
Year: 2019
Genre: Smooth Jazz
Label: Independent
Tracks:
1 Something 4:19
2 Midnight Express 5:02
3 Back Again
4:15
4 Attention 3:49
5 Letting Me Go 3:48
6 Tell It
Like It Is 4:11
7 Ocean Drive 3:28
8 Mad, Crazy Love
5:24
9 Where Is the Love 4:05
10 Rolling in the Deep
5:11