Free Music Fridays: Hadley Kennary

Hadley Kennary has graced NoiseTrade — and the rest of us with three of her lovely songs. Kennary's NoiseTrade page compares her with Sarah Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson, among others.

It is the other two influences — Joni Mitchell and the Indigo Girls — that separate Hadley Kennary from dozens, maybe hundreds, of other good young singers trying to sound like Michaelson.

Hadley Kennary has powerhouse vocals over which she exercises flawless control. She weaves the ethereal with lower tones and emotional depth. I think she begs comparisons with Zooey Deschanel with a slightly less retro feel.

"With Love, from Chicago" is the first track on this EP and is arguably the best. It's also her newest. The song is to a man who doesn't have time for her. It is about loss and it is an ode to the city. The lyrics are full of images and symbols without being cryptic.

The other two tracks are from her 2013 effort, In Fall. They suffer just slightly from the production. They're a little tinny, but nothing a good stereo couldn't fix. (I am listening to them on my computer, which doesn't do them justice.)

"In Fall" is a song to her father, or more likely, to God. The message here won't hit you over the head. The song is best when Kennary leaves off the backing vocals and trusts herself to carry the melody. This is good songwriting and great singing.

"Two Yellow Birds" has an interesting contrast, with decidedly classic country instrumentation against Kennary's decidedly not country vocals. It takes the familiar "If you love something, set it free ..." and puts it into a song about two birds with an arresting melody. The harmonies here work. It's repetitive toward the end, but that's the worst thing I can say about this lovely song.

Don't take my word for it. You can give it a listen or download it for free. If you do download, NoiseTrade will ask for your email address. You can also leave a tip.