Nashville singer/songwriter, John J. Kennedy, has been playing the local songwriter venues in and around Nashville for years. He has been called one of the new breed of Nashville story teller songwriters. Audiences have enjoyed hearing Kennedy spin stories into songs about love, loss, struggle, and redemption. Many of his songs reflect his blue collar background in a manner reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, and Steve Earle. Now, finally, Kennedy has released a CD, entitled “There and Back”. The record was put together as a concept album that tells the tale of a character who longs to leave his small town, working class upbringing in favor of the fast life of the big city. Each song on the album is like a separate chapter in the overall story. The listener is taken along for the ride as the adventure unfolds. Kennedy admits that many of the songs are semi-autobiographical, although many of the stories have been changed to enhance the experience of the characters in the songs. “You write what you know”, explains Kennedy, “but I have written the songs to be told through the eyes of the main character”.
The album kicks off with the rocking “In The U.S.A.” The song sets the stage for the drama about to unfold. It tells the story about growing up in a small town, In The U.S.A., and the values that the character is raised with. Things like love of God and Country, hard work, and good sportsmanship are lessons learned as a young man and are then passed down to the next generation.
Those who have seen Kennedy perform live will recognize songs like “Bacon and Eggs”, “Alright”, and “Baby Loves Her Phone”, long time staples of his live performances. With strong uptempo choruses, and melodic hooks these songs grab the listener and involve them in the story. There are also deeply emotional songs like “All She Wrote”, that tells the story about a young couple who are faced with their own mortality as one of them battles terminal cancer. The ballad “Eleven More to Go” is about someone summoning the courage to ask for help in battling his demons. Taking the first step of a twelve step program, with Eleven More to Go, the person finds himself on the road to recovery and a better life. In the song, “If I Didn’t Have You”, the character reflects on dreams of a glamorous life with fast cars and fancy houses. As he looks back on his life he concludes that none of those things would mean anything to him if he didn’t have the love of his life beside him. “Cause I wouldn’t have nothing, if I didn’t have you” the chorus exclaims. The album concludes with the song “To Find My Way to Heaven”. In the song the character tells of how he has often strayed from the straight and narrow path and the morals and values he was raised with. When a good woman comes into his life, like an angel, she helps him back into the light to find his way to heaven. A touching tale of redemption, the song is the perfect conclusion to the record, leaving the listener with an optimistic happily ever after feeling.
The CD “There and Back”, by John J. Kennedy is a full length, 12 song album and can be purchased on the website www.johnjkennedymusic.com. You can find Kennedy’s upcoming performance schedule on the website as well. Downloads are available on iTunes, Amazon Digital Music, Google Play Store and most online stores. It can be heard streaming on Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and other digital platforms.
