Kensington Market - Avenue Road (1968) (2008)

Yes, Kensington Market were one of the most well-respected groups on the scene in late-1960s Canada; yes, this album came out on a big label (Warner Brothers); and yes, it was produced by a major figure, Felix Pappalardi, then hot with Cream. This doesn't mean, though, that this is anything more than a very ordinary late-1960s rock LP, leaning towards the gentle pop/rock side without being too mainstream. In keeping with the times, a lot of attention was paid to varying the styles and arrangements, from airy-fairy pop-psychedelia ("Looking Glass") and jugbandish good-time rock with echoes of the Lovin' Spoonful ("Beatrice") to folk-rock-pop ("Speaking of Dreams" is rather like 1966-1967 Elektra-produced folk-rock with a poppier slant) and somberly orchestrated, introspective tunes that never lost sight of pop harmonies and vague psychedelic sentiments. The tunes just weren't outstanding, though, from either vocal or compositional perspectives, and the group didn't have a personality to set them apart from much similar middling pop/rock on the market in 1968. Kensington Market were artier, more ambitious, and somewhat more melancholic than the typical good-time group of the era, but not so much so that the album demands rediscovery.