Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Six years have passed since Kevn Kinney, the heart and soul of the Southern roots-rock band Drivin' N' Cryin', released a solo effort, 1994's Down Out Law. Patience, it turns out, has brought forth the most personal and poetic recording of Kinney's 15-year career. Opening with "Trail of Seasons," a five-minute masterpiece of the sustaining powers of friendship and the comic wisdom of love lost but survived, The Flower and the Knife enthralls and inspires from the driving-with-the-radio-blasting anthem "Dirty Angels" to the hilarious beatnik rap "Kerouac" to the stinging cover of Dylan's "Ballad of Hollis Brown." Recorded live over a week in New York, the record features some heavy hitters--guitar masters like Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes (who also produced) and Derek Trucks, plus Blues Traveler's John Popper and Sister Hazel's Ken Block. But ultimately, Kinney's third solo album succeeds because of the understated acoustic support, exceptional songwriting (including refreshed reprises of DNC favorites "Scarred but Smarter" and "Straight to Hell"), and Kinney's reedy, intuitive, and hardscrabble voice. --Roy Kasten
The Flower & the Knife,Kevn Kinney,Velocette,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop,Roots Rock
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