Irish singer/songwriter Andrew Kerr has long since adopted Wellington, New Zealand as his home, and the Kiwi environment has influenced his artistic vision. The primary sounds, however, echoing through his music share stronger links with folk and traditional Irish music, purist-driven acoustic blues ala the Mississippi Delta, as well as metal and alternative rock. His new release collaborating with Alan Norman and The Scarborough Connection, For the Record, falls into a fully realized Americana/folk vein and finds Kerr’s songwriting talents reaching a new apogee.
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“Black River” hits an early peak, that’s for sure. It’s built around acoustic guitar and banjo with memorable results and Kerr and his confederates summon an invigorating gospel feel thanks to the track’s backing vocals. The song caps off the confluence of bluegrass, blues, and folk that makes up the marrow of “Black River” with a stirring lead vocal highlighting the song’s first-class lyrics. The languid swaying of “Dancing Eyes” owes much to the project’s folk influences, the harmonica heard during the opener returns in a thoroughly Dylan-esque vein, but the album’s second track isn’t nakedly imitative. The dream-like trajectory it follows glitters with enduring allure. It’s a song that will stick with you.
“Petrichor” will as well. The elegant piano melody opening the song sets a restless, free-ranging stage for the vocals to explore different voices than we’ve heard during earlier songs. It is a cover of a Paul Kelly song, but despite that and the different slant Kerr and Norman’s project takes with the cut and its outside source, “Petrichor” remains indistinguishable in spirit from For the Record’s other songs. The principles choose their material well.
The album is back in the grime and sweat of American roots music with “Archie and George”. Harmonica returns, though its presence is never outsized, and the re-introduction of backing vocals reinforces the lead vocal’s soulful gravitas. This is a fine character study in miniature and likewise shines a bright spotlight on the narrative strengths that Kerr and Norman bring to the table. “Something Beginning with You” waltzes into the listener’s consciousness with its understated merits and an especially evocative lead vocal performance. The curious sort of hush that lies over the track gives it a slight undercurrent of unease.
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Kerr, Norman, and The Scarborough Connection conclude For the Record with another cover. Ronan O’Snodaigh’s “Raise the Road” leaves listeners with a deep nod to the Irish influences present throughout much of Kerr’s music. It never sounds too precious, however, and anyone who appreciates tunefulness not easily forgotten will latch onto this closer’s vigorous vocal melody. It ends For the Record on a vital note, tipping its hat to listeners rather than taking its leave with a lowered head. Andrew Kerr, Alan Norman, and The Scarborough Connection’s debut album For the Record sets the bar high for their future joint efforts. Still, the vivid spark of chemistry apparent in these songs makes it obvious that working at a high level will never be a problem for this project.
Garth Thomas