Baker's Dozen
Enda Kenny
Independently produced. PO Box 5018, Carlton 3053
$30 (includes postage)
Reviewed by Alex Bainbridge
Enda Kenny is an Australian folk singer on the rise. Baker's Dozen, like its predecessor, 12 Songs, has been widely acclaimed in folk circles. The Sydney Morning Herald's Bruce Elder called it "one of this country's greatest folk albums", referring to Kenny himself as "the finest folk-based singer-songwriter working in Australia". He has been compared in stature to figures such as Eric Bogle and Judy Small, and he won wide applause on his recent tour of Britain.
This album is smooth and easy to listen to and demonstrates Kenny's wonderful skills as a songwriter. While the album isn't able to do it credit, people who have the opportunity to see him live will be able to witness also his entertaining and polished stage presence.
Kenny has included a number of songs demonstrating his passionate commitment to a better world. These include one of my favourite songs on the album, "Darwin to Dili" (by Vin Garbutt), about the situation in East Timor and the criminal response of the Australian government and other great powers.
Other songs explore in a human way our relations with an (alienated) world around us. In this last category is the beautiful "Peregrine" which compares a peregrine falcon's interaction with an alien city to our own interaction.
Kenny also writes songs about his personal experience of the world around him: Melbourne, where he lives, Dublin, where he was born, and Australia, where he travels. He also is capable of being very witty, as in the song "Earl Grey" (about the tea he crusades against).
The album includes the winning song from this year's Lawson Paterson Award at the Port Fairy Festival. It is this song that best illustrates what annoys me about parts of this recording.
"Rabin", one of the most powerful songs on the album, is about the late Israeli leader. To Kenny's credit, he paints a complex picture that rejects the establishment media idealisation of Rabin as a saintly peacemaker. Kenny tells the truth about Rabin's past as a "soldier" responsible for brutal crimes against Palestinians. However, despite this (and the limited nature of what the Palestinians actually won from Rabin's government), he ends up echoing the establishment line that Rabin became a genuine "fighter for peace" who will be remembered as such for many years to come.
Kenny undoubtedly puts himself on the side of social justice. In some of his songs, however, I think he could be clearer about how he does that. Nevertheless, he is a fine performer and songwriter and this album is well worth a listen.