Mo Kenney has been going hard on the covers for the last year. Her latest, “Hard On You” comes from Daniel Romano’s 2011 album, sleep beneath the willow, which was longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. It’s the third in a series of covers that Kenney has released this year, which already includes Guided by Voices’ “Game of Pricks” and the Patsy Cline classic “You Belong To Me.”
Daniel Romano’s song is practically the epitome of the phrase “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed”… but if he’s mad too, we could understand that. It’s the tale of someone who has made some continual missteps and has finally come up against the hard edge of some tough love, all told from the perspective of the unfortunate individual who has been put in the awkward position of holding them accountable for their behaviour.
Romano himself has also had a particularly prolific year, having spent much of the silver lining from 2020 by releasing some ten albums of new and archived material, including an album with Steven Lambke as Spider Bite.
Kenney’s version of the song, following in the same vein as the other previously released singles, strips down the already unelaborate original even further. In the case of “Hard On You,” we’re treated to the finger-picking of an acoustic guitar and the signature sound of Kenney’s rasp. It paints for us a lonesome picture of Kenney plucking away in the studio and whiling away the year. There’s an added bite to this version of the song that says “you’ve messed up to the point that I’d really rather be alone.”
“I’ve been a big Daniel Romano fan since I first heard this song. It was so nice to hear a modern country song that was reminiscent of the old stuff,” says Kenney. “The songwriting is so good, I was excited to strip it down so the lyrics really shine. Recorded in front of one mic at the New Scotland Yard.”
“Hard On You” is the third single off of Mo Kenney’s upcoming album Covers which is set for release on February 26, 2020.