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Drew Kennedy’s double-disc Sad Songs Happily Played offers equal measures insight (“Rose of Jericho”) and introspection (“The Last Waltz”). CMT Edge spoke with the Central Texas-based songwriter about his elegant new concert collection.
“After the second time I played this great listening series at an old post office outside of Houston, the sound guy asked if I had any suggestions,” Kennedy recalls. “I said, ‘My only suggestion is that we record it next time because this place is perfect.’ Well, I found out he actually just recorded the show.”
Sad Songs Happily Played collects material from Kennedy’s entire catalog — six albums including high watermarks Wide Listener (2013) and Fresh Water in the Salton Sea (2011) — and deftly spotlights his vibrant, between-song storytelling.
CMT Edge: Describe how the new album took shape.
Kennedy: I started thinking … the value of making a live record when you didn’t know you were making one might be pretty substantial. I grew up in the time when bootleg trading was pretty popular, and you’d get these great shows where the band didn’t know they were recording. They were just turning in their show. So I thought it was more of an honest representation of me as a musician, and I decided to go for it. I think it represents me both as I like people to hear but also...
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