Kenna... This One's a Throwback

When I was in High-school, I was always peddling Kenna to my friends.  Every time we all piled into my '96 Explorer, people were asking me, "who is this!?!?"  It was as though I had opened some small portal into everyone's brain that allowed them to like a genre of music that they would never normally enjoy.  It always seemed so strange to me that people really enjoyed this stuff, because I was constantly assuming that I was the only person on the planet that could possibly like something so off the beaten path.

Kenna is a strange character in his own right.  I think for the first four years I listened to his music, I didn't have a clue what the guy looked like, or where he came from.  Oddly enough he was actually from my own back yard.  He was born in Ethiopia, and somehow found himself in my hometown of Cincinnati, OH at some stage in his life.  He has been the subject of a lot of interesting "studies" if you will, as he was actually a popular artist way after the onset of his New Sacred Cow album.  I think the album came out more than a year or even two before it gained any notoriety at all.  His bell-cow single was Hell Bent and it was a very strange tune at the time.  He was very obviously musically gifted, and it seemed record execs were obsessed with pushing his material.

Somehow though it was as though Secretariat was stalled at the gate in the Kentucky Derby.  You had a guy who should be out there dominating the Grammys, who could barely achieve anything more than a small to medium sized loyal following.  He was featured in the book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, which I ended up reading years after becoming a Kenna fan.  Gladwell goes on to try and understand why Kenna had such a tough time getting his music accepted by the general public.

Kenna has been, and will forever be someone that I aspire to understand.  He has this incredible intuition for all things sonic.  He brings together sounds and melodies that I think are just otherworldly.  What he was doing at his time was incredibly original in my book, and the best news to me is that his time was then, and is NOW.  He is apparently at work on a third album called Songs For Flight!  His second album which I have not yet mentioned is Make Sure They See My Face, which I think has something to do with people not knowing what he looked like for so long.  He seems somewhat prophetic in what he was doing, because a lot of the production techniques you hear him use are used commonly now in this new "pop genre" that is some sort of mix between trance, techno, r&b and bubble-gum.  Rhapsody calls it "post modern pop".... Ok.. fine by me.

New Sacred Cow


This album is pure gold.  There really isn't that much to say other than that.  My favorites were always, and always will be; Hell Bent, War in Me, Red Man, Siren, Sunday After You, Vexed and Glorious and Love/Hate Sensation.


Kenna has this incredible nasal vocal ability.  The vocals on his albums sound somewhat produced, but it is obvious that he has serious talent.  When I say nasal, I don't mean in the sense that it is annoying, it is just a sign that he probably isn't really classically trained, and that he is just going off of his own raw talent.  That is a compliment, trust me.

I also envy whatever sound library he is playing with.  The guy has a knack for putting together some truly incredible percussion samples.  His loops are so damn good its sinful.  I don't know who he works with, or how he does it all, but it really is incredible, and the music he produces is complex and gorgeous.  He harmonizes with the best of them, and of course that is what really gets the synapses firing.  Harmony is what it's all about.

-Hell Bent-
You probably saw this song on MTV. This music video came out years ago, and dominated the charts for a while.  It was completely unlike anything else it was sitting next to, and that was why I was completely ok with it hitting the TRL mainstream.  It has this simplicity that seems lacking, and then he keeps coming back to a complex and rich melody that is very catchy.  Listen, and love. Note: this isn't the original video.




-Red Man-
This song is what defined Kenna for me for a long time.  Its gritty and synthesized, yet it is put together so well its scary.  The percussion is tight, the melody is catchy, the sounds are unique, and its really a great tune.




-Siren-
Upbeat, interesting lyrics, catchy, and once again rhythmically and melodically superior. Ignore the anime if you can, not really sure the reason for that theme in these.



 -War in Me-
This song is truly gorgeous.  The lyrics are something to pay attention to, and the song slowly builds into everything you were hoping it would be.  The harmonies are what makes this song go the distance.





As for the rest of the songs, if you haven't already gotten hooked... I would check them out on YouTube!


Make Sure They See My Face


-Daylight-
Uplifting, classic Kenna, and a wonderful opener to an album that was so anticipated after such a long wait from New Sacred.




-Sun Red Sky Blue-
Yeah... love it.



-Static-
A little glimpse into what Kenna can do with a little less tempo.  Well worth listening to.



-Be Still-
Another down tempo song, and its a fantastic work of art.





Why so many videos you ask?  The guy is that good.  You either recognize that, or you just determine his style isn't your cup of tea.  Either way, he's truly original, and he's a long standing favorite of mine.

As always comments and opinions welcomed!

-CS