Here are the dates:

May 19
Mo Kenney and Del Barber
Old Bridge Inn, 23 Dalfaber Rd.
Aviemore, Inverness-shire – UK

May 20
Mo Kenney, Del Barber, Rachel Sermanni
The Arch Inn, 10-11 West Shore St.
Ullapool, Ross shire – Scotland

May 21
Mo Kenney and Rachel Sermanni
The Lemon Tree, 5 W North St.
Aberdeen, Aberdeen City – Scotland

But it takes a rare musician to really insert him or herself into their music.

Shove over Tegan and Sarah. Ladies, meet your new heartthrob.

I was hooked within ten seconds of “Deja Vu.” There’s a certain swagger, a special confidence, that few singers display. Mo Kenney is one of them. “Deja Vu” is a fairly simple song. But Kenney isn’t trying to be different — she’s just telling you how it is. And if you don’t see eye to eye, you can just keep right on walking for all she cares.

That’s the kind of commitment I like to see.

by Rachel Cholst, Adobe and Teardrops

I want to endorse her too! And I did–Mo Kenney was on my best-of list last year. Here’s why: her voice is amazing and she writes herself great lines to sing. Her singing and songwriting rank highly in the world of singer/songwriters. This is getting redundant, but it’s because Mo Kenney does what she does so well. The album sure isn’t redundant–it’s as sophisticated and devastating as a Cory Branan or Aimee Mann offering, it’s got sweetly swung melodies, some amazing drumming (not that they overshadow the songs, but they’re noticeably awesome drum parts), and a fully realized David Bowie cover. There’s no three songs I could pick to share with you below that would encapsulate the whole feel of this album, but it’s not like it’s spastic and restless, either. It gets into a lot of small spaces, a very deft production to match Kenney’s deft finger-picking. Just go listen. Once again, the endorsement: Essential Listening.

by Mike Ostrov, Nine Bullets

The audience crept in as she moved to the front of the stage, eager to hear every word. At just 22 years old, she is already well versed at writing songs with catchy tunes, well thought-out lyrics and interesting accompaniment. She sings with strength and a beautiful tone, and can finger pick like the best of them, which allows for versatile guitar parts that are rhythmic and often melodic. This is emotional music to reflect on, to sing along with and sometimes even to dance to with unstoppable numbers like “Déjà Vu,” a scaled down version of which can be seen here in a live video with Joel Plaskett (who produced her album).

by Stephanie Beatson, ForgetTheBox

Finally, to finish off her set, her cover of David Bowie’s “Five Years” was a perfect note to end on.

by W. Andrew Powell, The Gate

Style: I’ve reviewed Mo Kenney before. I’m a huge fan of her mature guitar melodies and deep singing voice. She executes her songs really well and has a charming stage presence. She’s incredibly talented, with a powerful voice and instrumental skills to match—it’s hard not to be entranced while she’s onstage (or at least like her).

Technicalities: Flawless.

Memorable moment: Mo played a new song she wrote earlier this summer with a friend at songwriting camp, which she said made her “sound mean.” She later assured us that she was, in fact, not mean.

Comments: Nova Scotia’s rising star performed a show that was a pleasure to watch and to listen to. As always.

by Sofia Mikhaylova, The Scene

Kenney, who is just 22 and hails from Nova Scotia, is about to embark on her second tour opening for folk veteran Ron Sexsmith — including a stop at the Arden Theatre in St. Albert on Wednesday, March 27 — and recorded her first album under the guidance of possibly Nova Scotia’s most successful musical export, Joel Plaskett.

Having two of Canada’s most respected singer-songwriters take her under their wings like they have is still sometimes a little surreal.

“Three years ago, I didn’t really have anything going on musically, so to be in this situation where I have all these awesome artists to work with is kind of surreal,” Kenney said. “I have to stop and think for a second, because it doesn’t seem real sometimes. I’m so fortunate to work with these guys so early in my career.”

Kenney has toured with Sexsmith before, but this tour is much more extensive, and she is very excited to learn even more from one of the best singer-songwriters Canada has to offer.

“It’s quite the experience. I toured with him a couple of years ago, just a few dates around the Maritimes, so I’m excited I get to do a bigger tour with him outside of the Maritimes,” she said.

Kenney is also excited to get another taste of Western Canadian hospitality, having played a few dates in the prairies opening for Plaskett last October.

“October was my first time out West; I hadn’t been there before. I can’t wait to come back and take in all the sights,” she said.

Kenney’s self-titled debut album was recorded with Plaskett at his studios in Dartmouth, N.S., starting in April 2011, although Plaskett was aware of Kenney’s talents several years earlier.

While she said it was an overwhelming amount of information to take in all at once, she said it was “probably one of my favourite experiences ever in my life” and she is grateful for the tips and tricks Plaskett was able to pass on to her.

“Working with Joel in the studio was the first real recording experience I’ve ever had,” she said. “He does everything analog, everything on tape. I mean, I have GarageBand and I’ve used that before, but it’s really cool to get in the studio with him and see how he does everything without a big computer screen.”

The CD was released in September 2012, and Kenney is thrilled to finally have it out there and to let people hear it.

“I feel like I’ve been waiting years and years to have a record of my own out into the world for people to listen to,” she said. “I’ve been writing the material on it since — the earliest song I probably wrote when I was 16.”

Since the album’s release, it has been received positively, and Kenney said that’s a bit of a nice surprise.

“As a musician that hasn’t had anything out there for people to listen to, you’re not really sure how people are going to respond to it,” she said. “I’m just happy that people seem to be liking it.”

But Kenney isn’t planning on resting on her laurels; in fact, she plans to have a long musical career ahead of her.

“Hopefully I’ll do some more travelling abroad — I would really like to travel to Europe and tour a little bit,” she said. “I get to go play the Great Escape Festival in England, which I’m really excited about it, since I’ve never been over there before. It’s just cool to have a job where you get to travel to all these new places.”

Mo Kenney hits the stage with Ron Sexsmith at the Arden Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27. Tickets for the show are sold out.

by Glenn Cook, St. Albert Leader

Here’s a “purple haze” pic from Mo’s set at the 2013 ECMA Export Buyers Showcase.