Mo Kenney is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Waverley, Canada, based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Born in 1990, Kenney works in rock and has also been associated with folk-influenced acoustic and indie settings.

Career

Kenney attracts attention while still in school when Canadian musician Joel Plaskett hears her work. Plaskett produces her first album, which appears in 2012. Kenney builds a reputation for her lyrics and for a strong live presence, and The Scene magazine calls her “Nova Scotia’s rising star”.

She tours with Plaskett and also with Ron Sexsmith. In 2013, her song “Sucker” wins the SOCAN Songwriting Prize.

Albums and songwriting

Kenney’s second album, In My Dreams, follows her self-titled debut. It is released on New Scotland Records and Pheromone Recordings and becomes one of the notable records of 2014, later winning the 2015 ECMA for Pop Recording of the Year. The album is also released in the UK, Ireland and Germany.

Plaskett returns as a key collaborator on the record, producing, playing on and co-writing some of the material. Kenney says the sessions move toward a fuller band sound than her earlier work, while still keeping much of the instrumentation in her and Plaskett’s hands. On the album, Plaskett handles drums, bass and some organ parts, while Kenney plays electric guitar and some Wurlitzer and Rhodes. The recordings take place at Plaskett’s New Scotland Yard studio in Dartmouth, where the use of vintage equipment and tape shapes the sound.

The album includes solo songs, co-writes with Plaskett, and one cover version of “Telephones”, originally by the East Coast band Mardeen. Another song, “I Faked It”, is first written with Gordie Sampson and Willie Stratton at The Gordie Sampson Songcamp, then revised with Plaskett’s input. Other named tracks include “Untouchable”, “Take Me Outside”, “In My Dreams”, “Mountains to the Mess”, “Field Song”, “Pretty Things” and “Dancing”.

Style and performance

Kenney’s music combines emotionally direct vocals, harmony work and guitar-led arrangements. Her playing is described as including notably strong electric guitar work, which distinguishes her from more acoustic-oriented peers. Her singing and songwriting remain central to her recordings and performances.