Genre: rock
Rating: 2 stars **
Title:  Raymond Louis Kennedy
Company: Cream
Catalog: CR 9001
Year: 1970
Country/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: promo copy; sticker on cover; gatefold sleeve
Available: 1
Catalog ID: 6254
Price: $15.00

Singer/songwriter Raymond Louis Kennedy's kind of an interesting rock journeyman. With a professional musical career stretching back to the early 1969s, his catalog includes recording a pair of rock albums with the band Group Therapy (1968's "People Get Ready for Group Therapy" and 1969's "37 Minutes of Group Therapy"). In 1970 Kennedy struck out in pursuit of a solo career.

Signed by London's Cream subsidiary, 1970's cleverly titled " Raymond Louis Kennedy" teamed him with producer Dallas Smith and an impressive cast of sidemen including guitarist Harvey Mandel, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheel's guitarist Jim McCarthy, Moby Grape bassist Bob Mosley, and Love drummer George Suranovich. Showcasing a set of all-original material, Kennedy had an okay blue-eyed soul voice, Interestingly, if you look at his website you'll see comparisons to Creedence Clearwater Revival and John Fogerty. An admirable goal, but the CCR/Fogerty comparisons were lost to my ears. Instead, I'd offer up that he sounded a bit like a male version of Janis Joplin. Know how Joplin always sounded shrill and irritating when she tried to sound authentically bluesy and tough ? Well Kennedy exhibited the same tendencies throughout this collection. Shame, since I suspect if Kennedy had toned it down a bit the results would have been far more impressive. Instead what you got was a set heavy on Delaney and Bonnie-styled blue-eyed soul, with occasional touches of Tony Joe White swamp rock thrown in. The thing was that nothing here came remotely close to those other acts. In fact, the one really interesting performance was a totally unexpected slice of Zeppelin-styled blues-rock - 'Miss Goody Two Shoes'.

- I guess if I were going to pick out a standout performance, 'Down On the Farm' was as good as anything else. Musically this one had one of those distinctive early-'70s blue-eyed soul/gospel-tinged sounds complete with Stax-styled horns and blaring female backing chorus (that threatened to blow Kennedy out of the studio). That said, this wasn't anything you couldn't find on a Delaney and Bonnie album. rating: *** stars
- 'She's a Lady' was cut from the same boogies/swamp rock pattern, though the results weren't as good as the earlier song. rating: ** stars
- The first ballad, the bluesy 'Try Acting Like a Woman' really underscored the Joplin comparison to my ears. You could just hear Kennedy trying to underscore his toughness here and like much of Joplin's catalog, the results were shrill and not particularly fun. Okay, I liked the Steve Cropper-styled guitar that closed out the song. rating: ** stars
- Apparently intended as the album's stab at MOR commercial success, the heavily orchestrated 'Inside of Me (There's a Dream)' was simply painful. Kennedy didn't seem particularly impressive with the track and his vocal was barely in-tune. Yech. rating: * star
- 'Something In My Head' found Kennedy pulling out all the stops; the results being a loud and shrill mess complete with blasting horns, shrieking female backing chorus, and Kennedy's own throat tearing performance. Wow ... but not in a good way. rating: ** stars
- Okay, okay I've been pretty tough on this album so far, so I'm going to tell you that Kennedy's stab at Zeppelin-styled heavy metal was surprisingly enjoyable. His Robert Plant-styled shriek was certainly a surprise to me and while the song wasn't particularly original, who knew he had it in him ... rating: **** stars
- '(You Gotta) Know Where You're Going' was a return to a swamp-rock/New Orleans-tinged boogie sound. Maybe due to the fact the previous song struck a chord with me, this one wasn't bad either. rating: *** stars
- 'I Feel a Lot' found Kennedy trying to be funky - well at least as funky as a white guy from Philly could be while singing 'get on the groove' over and over ... rating: ** stars
- An old-school soul ballad, 'Bring Back the Old Memories' could have been great, but Dallas Smith's over-the-tip production all but drown Kennedy. I did enjoy Dwyane Hitching's Hammond B-3 accompaniment. rating: ** stars
- The closer 'Sittin' On a Hill' remained firmly in the Delaney Bramblett/Don Nix/Tony Joe White school of blue-eyed soul, but stood as one of the few tracks where Kennedy seemed willing to drop the pretense and just showcase his true talents, Yeah, it's still a driving rocker, but the result was his most attractive vocal. My second favorite performance on the set. rating: *** stars

Nothing spectacular (save the period piece outfit Kennedy was sporting) ...

"Raymond Louis Kennedy" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Down On the Farm (Raymond Louis Kennedy) - 3:36
2.) She's a Lady (Raymond Louis Kennedy) - 2;39
3.) Try Acting Like a Woman (Raymond Louis Kennedy) - 3:46
4.) Inside of Me (There's a Dream) (Raymond Louis Kennedy) - 2:10
5.) Something In My Head (Raymond Louis Kennedy) - 5:12

(side 2)
1.) Miss Goody Two Shoes (Raymond Louis Kennedy) - 2:40
2.) (You Gotta) Know Where You're Going (Raymond Louis Kennedy) - 2:55
3.) I Feel a Lot (Raymond Louis Kennedy) - 5:23
4.) Bring back the Old Memories (v Kennedy) - 5:02
5.) Sittin' On a Hill (Raymond Louis Kennedy) - 3:10


For anyone interested, Kennedy has a web presence at:
http://raymondlouiskennedy.com/