Laura Kenny

LAURA KENNY is a Glasgow girl- a singer/songwriter who has a lot of talent, if her debut CD “Drive” (Vola Records) is anything to go by. Already she is making inroads into both West Of Scotland and Irish scene’s having been featured in BBC’s “Country Cool” TV series in Northern Ireland.
Laura has a good strong vocal style, which delivers her own songs well. There’s a good mix of emotional ballads and catchy upbeat numbers, which make for a very enjoyable listen.
On the ballads side, I especially liked “Footprints” and “If You Ever Feel Like Passing By”. “To Go” tells of leaving the family nest. The emotions, not to mention the self harmonies, really stand out on this track, making it one of the 12 track album’s highlights.
The other stand out track for me is “All I Want” - Another ballad, which suits Laura’s voice so well.
On the more uptempo side, the album’s opening tracks set the tone nicely. “Drive” is the title track, and is quickly followed by “Cleopatra Madagascar”,, probably the most Country influenced track on the album. It’s a kinda Thelma & Louise story about touring America with a band. Strange title but it works well. Certainly the most commercial track on offer here.
A couple of the tracks, namely, “You Don’t Miss What You Never Had” and “Morning Run” are a shade on the poppy side, but still fit nicely on the album.
I’ve not quite worked out who Laura’s influences are. There’s a bit of Nanci Griffith in there, a bit Kathy Mattea, and even a bit of Eva Cassidy!
Not only did she write all the songs, but Laura co-produced the efforts with David Scott, of the Pearlfishers fame.
A superb debut-note the name and listen out for her!