Symphony in 16 Bars

Go to a Manhattan venue that is singer/songwriter-friendly, and you might encounter both young upstarts and veterans who have spent many years in the trenches. Some of the veterans have endured poverty in order to pursue their art; others have earned a good living with musical "day gigs" but haven't recorded as many albums as they should have. Kenny White, for example, has considerable experience recording jingles, but he was in his late forties when he finally got around to putting out his first album, Uninvited Guest — and he follows up that 2002 release with his sophomore disc, Symphony in 16 Bars. The same influences that served White well on Uninvited Guest — Randy Newman, Tom Waits, and Elvis Costello, among others — continue to serve him well on this 46-minute CD, which underscores his talents as an urban storyteller. Urban is the operative word because White's songs are inspired by the ups and downs of life in the Big Apple — and while his lyrics can be cynical and world-weary, they also have a lot of heart. One hears the New York resident's genuine affection for his home on "Heart of the City," which laments the over-gentrification of Manhattan; one hears White's frustration with the music business on "5 Girls," and his concern for a friend's well-being on "Anabel." White's songs paint a very bittersweet picture of life in a post-9/11, Mike Bloomberg-era NYC; he observes his environment and finds much to be cynical about, but at the same time, the city gives him a lot of creative inspiration — and one gets the impression he's generally glad to be there even though he's had his fill of gentrification and clueless A&R people. Symphony in 16 Bars is an enjoyably candid sophomore outing from the East Coast singer/songwriter.