CD Giveaway Contest: Liz Kennedy, "Speed Bump"

"I was reasonably accomplished in my other work, but for years, despite my love for music, I never thought I was good enough to write, sing or play it. I kept it inside for years,” says Liz Kennedy, a fourth generation Southern Californian. "I became someone who told people I was writing music but I would never share it. Which began to feel slightly weird. When I finally met my producer, Joel Jaffe, his encouragement allowed me to step inside the studio and record my songs so I wouldn't have to hold them in any longer. And that felt very freeing. Very good. And I improved over time, which led to more and more writing. Meeting and playing with incredibly talented musicians lead me even further along the path."

Four critically-acclaimed albums were the result and Liz now has a new collection of songs to share. Influenced by legendary artists like Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, Randy Newman and Carole King, Liz adds her own unique, inviting stamp of sandpaper and honey tinged vocals on Speed Bump's 14 dynamic folk/blues influenced pop/rock tracks. From the high-flying gospel/blues-driven opening title track through the whimsical, horn-fired closing track expressing her long held desire to write "A Hit Song,” Kennedy tells cleverly-spun, deeply-lived stories about experiences that she could have barely fathomed having, let alone writing about.

This contest has ended.

The winner is MIKE G. of Fort Pierce, FL.