Customer Reviews

Useless Wooden Toys

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For his third album, USELESS WOODEN TOYS, Jon Kennedy goes back to his hip-hop roots the thick beats of "Cut Up" and "Heavyweight Freight," though those who miss his jazz-inflected outings will be reassured by "You, You & You" that he hasn't lost his touch at that either. Kennedy tries his throat out with vocals on "We Milk Life But Dress Smooth," but it's the swinging double bass that seems to stand out the most. He tries his hand at a more dub-oriented track with "Save The People," though it feels slightly out of place amongst his other work. But "Pick Up Sticks" gets back to the more gentle work from his earlier albums, and is that a bit of country blues that I hear in the title track? That feeling lingers on into "Lodestar," which features Sarah Scott's aching vocals. The mysterious vocal sample on "Never Wed An Old Man" seems like it's beamed straight from an Irish folk song into a smooth jazz setting, and "They Made Us Too Many" takes the album out on bits of harp and string shimmers and, of course, the drums. Useless? Not in the least.

I usually like 3-4 songs on an album, but I like almost every one of these songs!

Great sounds!

This is an album of sounds, an album of songs and an album of beauty. If you are looking for something different check out this pioneering album by Jon Kennedy.