CD Review: Jeannie Kendall And Carl Acuff Jr – The Kendall’s Rekindled
by Antony Bailey for Country Music News International
- You Got Me
- Lovers Moon
- Grandmas Quilt
- Feel Like Travelling On
- I Gotta
- No Teardrops Tonight
- Love The Look Of Your Face
- Blues Stay Away From Me
- In Memphis
- Island In The Kitchen
This has to be considered as one of the most optimistic and heartfelt country albums of the year so far. ‘The Kendall’s Rekindled’ was released in February this year by Bluegrass artists Jeannie Kendall and Carl Acuff Jr. The two singer-songwriters joined forces to record brand new material where they complement each other with soothing medicinal harmonies combined with catchy hooks and musical passages.
The first two tracks on the album ‘You Got Me’ and ‘Lovers Moon’ set a much-needed heart-warming tone to assist its audience in finding their path to a heightened sense of emotional healing. Lyrics such as ‘’We carved our names in that old strong oak/we’ll dance amongst the starlight/underneath that lovers moon’’ pushes strong emotional sentiments.
The fourth track on the album ‘Feel Like Travelling On’ is both empowering and graceful as the duo sing about continuing due to the lord being good to them. ‘’The lord has been so good to me’’ is backed by a banjo and fiddle to bring the bluegrass to life. ‘I Gotta’ is the following song on the album. The lightly swung and shuffled drumbeat pushes the music as Jeannie Kendall sings ‘’I gotta pray’’ throughout the chorus and is complimented with backing vocals from Carl Acuff Jr.
The comforting ‘No Teardrops Tonight’ is the next track as the song delivers a shuffled groove paired with conveying a firm but cheerful message about there not being ‘’Any teardrops tonight’’ regardless of how her partner chooses to behave towards her.
The seventh song slows the tempo down slightly to accommodate for an intimate and romantic song where the pair just cannot help but ‘’Love the look on your face’’. The piano intensifies the romance and is embellished by a lightly syncopated cross-stick rhythm on the drums and a gentle guitar riff. The final songs on the album include a sensuous country blues anthem titled ‘Blues Stay Away From Me’, which is followed by ‘In Memphis’, and ‘Island In The Kitchen’.
It is definitely worth downloading and adding to the autumn playlist. The album steers its audience away from darker times by embarking on a journey of hope, empowerment, and redemption as the songs forever looks to conclude on a positive note by combining love and religion as a means to feel a sense of joy and reclamation. Be sure to stay in touch with Country Music News International with both artists over the coming months for upcoming shows and releases.