Her album "In My Dreams" is a stunningly accomplished and exciting follow-up to her 2012 much-decorated and universally-acclaimed self-titled debut. Released on New Scotland Records/Pheromone Recordings on September 30, 2014, In My Dreams showcased an artist who has grown in every facet of her craft - as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and performer. The record made 2014 best of lists and won a 2015 ECMA for Pop Recording of the Year. In My Dreams was released in the UK, Ireland, and Germany in the fall of 2015.
The album reunites Kenney with her key creative collaborator and musical mentor, Joel Plaskett. The East Coast rock icon produced, played on, and co-wrote some of the material on her first record, and the two were clearly on the same page in terms of a sonic mandate for In My Dreams. "I knew it would be more of a production in terms of using a band," says Kenney. "I'm playing a lot more with a band live now, so I wasn't afraid to go in that direction and make it less acoustic-based."
Even though there's a full band sound to some of the material on In My Dreams, most of the instrumentation came from Kenney and Plaskett themselves, Kenney explains. "Joel did all the drums and bass and he played some of the organ. I did all the electric guitars [Kenney's ability to shred sets her apart from folkier peers] and I played some Wurlitzer and Rhodes."
The album was recorded in Plaskett's previous more basic space, and Kenney loved working in his new facility, New Scotland Yard, in Dartmouth, NS. "He has a super hi-fidelity Neve board now, so the difference in the sound quality in the studio was really noticeable," she says. "It has plenty of analog equipment, and I love the sound of tape."
This recording method and the prominent use of vintage keyboards has paid real dividends in the warm and rich sound of In My Dreams, one that remains built around Kenney's emotionally eloquent voice. Listen to “Untouchable" (featuring a powerhouse vocal performance Neko Case or Adele would be happy to claim) and "Mountains to the Mess" and you won't dare to disagree. The rich harmonies on the record are all Kenney's own, and they add a real resonance to such other tunes as "Field Song" and "Pretty Things."
An early version of "I Faked It" was written by Kenney, Gordie Sampson and Willie Stratton at Sampson's renowned songwriting retreat, The Gordie Sampson Songcamp, and a revised version (featuring input from Plaskett) is the sizzling first cut on In My Dreams. Three other Plaskett-Kenney co-writes ("Untouchable," "Take Me Outside," and "In My Dreams") nestle neatly alongside five solo Kenney compositions and one cover, and the first single, "Telephones." That latter song was originally written and recorded by East Coast rockers Mardeen for their 2008 album Read Less Minds. "I fell in love with it immediately," Kenney says. "I loved the melody and the catchy chorus."
In My Dreams takes the listener on a memorable emotional rollercoaster ride. The journey ends on an up note with "Dancing": "you're the sweetest dream cos' I don't have to sleep." Sweet dreams are indeed made of this enchanting record.
Sucker
Mo Kenney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Clear as a portrait in a frame
I thought I saw you yesterday
In your car across the lake
Before you left me in this place (all by myself)
Gave me a look that I could taste
Why'd you leave me in this place?
Through the door and to the glass
Your eyes fixed on the sun at last
And now you're just a memory
Of everything I'd hoped you would be
La, la la, la la, la la, la
La, la la, la la, la la, la la, la la
La la, la la, la la, la
Your eyes are like a big black hole
The more I look the less I know
So tell me what you learned from me
No shut your mouth 'cause talk is cheap
La, la la, la la, la la, la la, la la
La, la la, la la, la la, la la, la
Well I stood in an empty street today (all by myself)
Carving your name into the clay
Why'd you have to go away?
Why'd you leave me in this way?
I'm a sucker for your face
I'm a sucker for your face
Mo Kenney's song "Sucker" is a melancholic song about a woman left alone and haunted by the memory of a past lover. The opening line, "Hey, I'm a sucker for your face," reveals the singer's unease and the depth of the emotions she battles. The object of her desire is clear as "a portrait in a frame," and she's obsessed with the subject. The line "I thought I saw you yesterday / In your car across the lake" suggests that she's grappling with the memory of the past relationship.
The chorus section of the song has a repetition of the phrase "La, la la, la la, la la," suggesting that the singer's thoughts are jumbled and unclear. In the second verse, the singer recalls the moment when her lover left her, "Before you left me in this place / Gave me a look that I could taste." The overwhelming memories of her lover's face and the fact that he's gone, leave her feeling lost and disoriented.
In the final verse, the singer has carved her lover's name into a piece of clay, which is a symbol of how the memory of him has become intertwined in her very existence. The chorus is repeated again, to emphasize the depth of her emotions and hence, the emptiness she feels for the lover's departure.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, I'm a sucker for your face
I am drawn to your face and cannot resist it
Clear as a portrait in a frame
Your face is strikingly clear, almost like a portrait in a frame
I thought I saw you yesterday
I imagined seeing you recently
In your car across the lake
I thought I saw you in your car, across the lake
Before you left me in this place (all by myself)
You left me alone in this place
Gave me a look that I could taste
The intensity of the look you gave me was almost palpable
Why'd you leave me in this place?
Why did you abandon me?
Why'd you have to go away?
Why did you have to leave me?
Through the door and to the glass
You walked through the door and went to the window
Your eyes fixed on the sun at last
You finally fixed your gaze on the sun
And now you're just a memory
Now I only have the memory of you
Of everything I'd hoped you would be
The memory of you is all I have left of the person I hoped you would be
La, la la, la la, la la, la
Instrumental
La, la la, la la, la la, la la, la la
Instrumental
La la, la la, la la, la
Instrumental
Your eyes are like a big black hole
Your eyes have a dark and consuming quality, like a black hole
The more I look the less I know
The more I try to understand you, the more confused I become
So tell me what you learned from me
What have you learned from our time together?
No shut your mouth 'cause talk is cheap
Do not speak, as words are meaningless without action
Well I stood in an empty street today (all by myself)
Today I stood alone in an empty street
Carving your name into the clay
I engraved your name into the clay
Why'd you have to go away?
Why did you have to leave me?
Why'd you leave me in this way?
Why did you abandon me in this manner?
I'm a sucker for your face
I am drawn to your face and cannot resist it
I'm a sucker for your face
I am drawn to your face and cannot resist it
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Morgan Paige Kenney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Quinn Walsh
YES. YES. YES. I watched this live on the weekend. outstanding Mo. đź’ž
paul leys
Love her voice.
Josh Young YYC
So good. The perfect pop song.
Lucas Lawson
Awesome song, awesome video......great use of color and imagination !!!!!!!!
A&A puppet show
Mo Kenney is a star!
Adam Stroud
This is good
Ralf Baltruscheit
Kind of reminds me of Ben Kweller.
ehrensenffan
Yeah, right! It's the same slacker attitude. Dig it.