Guitarist and songwriter Pete Kennedy, known for his work with Maura Kennedy in husband and wife duo The Kennedys, steps out with his first project as a roots-rock front man in two decades. Harder edged than the duo's jangly, Byrds-inflected sound, Heart of Gotham is an all-original song cycle that showcases his talents as a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer, with a voice that is gritty but with a strong ring of truth. Ultimately it's the lyrics, film-noir vignettes dealing with life in his hometown, New York City, that bring this long-anticipated project to a redemptive fullness.