Back in the early ’70s, Philadelphia’s folk community had a reputation for being a conservative bunch — not conservative politically (many folk artists are known for supporting liberal causes), but conservative in terms of being staid, demure, reserved, and settled. In you dropped by one of Philly’s coffee houses in 1971 or 1972, you could still hear some people debating whether or not Bob Dylan should have gone electric — that’s how conservative Philly’s folk community could be in those days. So imagine the reactions that Philly folkys had when, in the early ’70s, a young Kenn Kweder brought his wild-man antics to the city’s folk and singer/songwriter venues; they didn’t exactly approve when he did wacky things like wresting women on-stage. Had Kweder — who has calmed down considerably since then — stuck to folk-rock and not alienated people in his city’s folk community, there is no telling how big he might have become on the folk circuit. But Kweder was too eclectic to play folk-rock exclusively, and it would have been a shame if he had not shown people his diversity. Nonetheless, Kweder can be a superb folk-rocker when he puts his mind to it, which is what he does on this self-titled CD. Recorded in 1994 and 1995, Kenn Kweder finds the singer/songwriter emphasizing folk-rock and savoring his Dylan/Neil Young/Leonard Cohen/Byrds roots. Over the years, Kweder has often excelled as a ballsy, in-your-face rocker, but his more wistful and sensitive side prevails on folk-rock gems like “Mighty River,” “Freedom From Sense,” and “Laddie Boy Hawkins.” Meanwhile, the haunting “Candystore” is more British Invasion than folk-rock — more late-period Beatles than Dylan or Cohen. But folk-rock still dominates this album, which Kweder has every reason to be proud of. – Alex Henderson
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