KEVIN CONNOLLY

North/East

kevinconnolly.com

Over two decades and a catalog that includes nine independently released albums, Kevin Connolly has become one of New England’s most respected troubadours. However, unlike the usual wistful folkies who haunt the region’s clubs and coffeehouses, Connolly’s music can be tough and tenacious. Although its roots are in the singer-songwriter tradition, he’s never been reticent to inject elements of R&B, blues and rock ’n’ roll into his musical mix.
Connolly’s latest, North/East, continues that approach, offering a blend of blues-tinged shuffles (“Let’s Say You Do,” “Living on the Street”), a hint of funk (“Chevy Impala”), forlorn ballads (“Mass. Avenue,” “Fall River”) and tangled country narratives (“The Fishing Life”).