Anyone in search of a reason to like Phil Kennelty doesn’t need to look far: the lifelong songwriter and folk-rock artist, who also spent 33 years working for the US Postal Service, once wrote a tune called “Going Postal.”
His employers may not have been amused, but I definitely was while reading his entertaining bio, which includes an early Beatles phase; a teenage summer spent learning every Bob Dylan song he possibly could; years of being mentored by Brill Building greats like Sheila Davis, Lou Stallman, Carole Bayer Sager and Janis Ian while shopping songs; and many more years playing out around his Long Island home base, becoming an integral part of its vibrant music scene.
The latter pursuit led Kennelty to cross paths with Bill Herman of Paradiddle Records (Pete Mancini, Kerry Kearney, Russ Seeger), who co-produced, engineered and mixed this, Kennelty’s second solo album since retiring from the USPS. Like his 2009 debut Thirteen Songs—a nod to Randy Newman’s debut 12 Songs—sophomore outing A Line In The Sand is rich with clever tales and earnest sentiments, delivered with heart-on-sleeve sincerity.
This generous collection—which finds guitarist and keyboardist Kennelty supported by a Who’s-Who of LI scene regulars—features 10 individual tracks sandwiching the three-song “Immigration Suite,” plus a closing hidden track. Standouts in the early going include “I’m About To Explode,” an electric classic rocker with hints of Jackson Browne and nice lead guitar work by Donnie Celenza; and the title track, a gently funky parable about conflict with hints of reggae and a Jimmy Buffett island vibe.
The latter vibe continues on “Things I’ve Never Done,” an island-flavored tune about getting your priorities straight, and the easygoing “All That Money Can’t Buy,” about the simple joys of small-town life. Another highlight is “I’ll Deal With It Tomorrow,” an electric number about setting your troubles aside, cutting loose and playing music with friends. It’s both clever and wise about self-care and keeping your priorities straight.
The three-song Immigration Suite opens with “Diamonds In The Sky,” a rather Gordon Lightfoot number mythologizing the passage to America with fiddle and mandolin. “The Lost Causeway” follows, an album highlight that finds Kennelty riding down the Long Island Causeway at night, contemplating the scene to acoustic guitar, accordion, and fiddle: “The planes are stacked up over Kennedy tonight / Like planets around a distant star… And I wonder where those planes are coming from / Who are those people coming here?” Closing out the suite, Kennelty imagines life in America after “All Of The Immigrants Are Gone” to a full-band arrangement, with a hint of “Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes” deep in the melody.
The final trio of songs doubles down on authenticity. “Don’t Be Ashamed Of Your Dreams” is a love letter from Kennelty to his children, encouraging them to embrace and follow their dreams, with a horn section adding nice lift to the chorus. “One More Dream” closes out the album proper with another Buffett-adjacent number about wanting to linger in those early-morning slumbery dreams just a little longer.
The album is completed by a hidden 14th track, the solo acoustic elegy “Before,” in which Kennelty struggles with grief and tries to remember the way she (His mother? It’s left unsaid) was before things got bad. “I never say I miss her / It seems she’s still around,” he sings. “It feels so good to remember her / Before.” It’s honest and heartfelt and among the best things here.
It’s fair to say there are reasons Phil Kennelty has long been best known as a songwriter; his voice is pleasantly weathered, full of “seen some things” character and rarely in the same zip code as “pretty” (though he gets there on “Before”). The thing is, with this particular type of music—singer-songwriter folk-rock that can be playful, but leans into serious subjects and messages—that very genuineness becomes an asset.
A Line In The Sand is a fine collection of songs from a veteran of the scene who knows his heart and doesn’t hesitate to share it with his audience.