Award-winning American alternative R&B musician Kenny Fame, from Harlem, NY, who is known for his eclectic sound, mixing soul, spoken word, country and folk, is back with his brand new 5-track EP, entitled “Goodbye…”. The testimony of a great musician is his ability to evolve, as Kenny does with each new single, EP or album release. There are recordings these days that you buy and only listen to once or twice. Or maybe you listen for a while and you get tired of. I’ve found Kenny’s music style changes often and is often placed in a specific period in time. I may not get it at first but some time later I end up being ready for some of his music. He is definitely always ahead of his time and maybe ours.
Sometimes his diversity in music often alienates his listeners and often makes different people want more of one sound they like and another person dislike the very sound that is classic or great to another. So let me start by saying that “Goodbye…” probably contains Kenny Fame’s most unifying sound as far us listeners are concerned. It is his most melodic, his most accessible, and as far as I’m concerned, it probably contains the best song Kenny has ever done up until now – “beautiful DISASTER”, a passionate, melodic ballad of pure emotion and fire put to music. This beautiful song exposes a battle-scarred Kenny coming to grips with the cycle of life, love, and a more circumspect view of the love-lost years of wisdom. It is a full circle reflection about the residue of love, and shows the humanity and maturity of an artist who has found his way….it is simply a lovely, lovely song.
“Goodbye…” is a fine example of how Kenny Fame’s sound has emerged and acknowledged what music has to offer today. It’s soulful, with a touch of dance. In a lyrical sense, it’s catchy and fun, but doesn’t come short of metaphorically and profoundly discussing messages of intense personal relationships. All through the EP, it never sounds like he just cracked the vault, dusted some old tracks and threw in a hashtag reference to contemporize, but rather he has cherry picked vintage sounds from his expansive musical mind while delving into pop-influenced electronica and weaved these seemingly disparate musical styles together rather seamlessly – hence an upbeat track like “Come On Over”. However, beside the glorious “beautiful DISASTER”, it is the slower tracks that capture my attention and impress me most – “Set It On Fire” and the title track “Goodbye”.
“Goodbye…” sounds like an intensely personal release. I really appreciate this level of introspection from a artist amidst a disposable, rapidly spiraling neo-cultural background that’s indifferent to genuine musical talent in favor of ‘flavor-of-the-day’ tube personalities with but modicum talents. If you don’t have “Goodbye…” yet, get it… if you do, give it a few more spins before casting final judgment, I promise this one is Kenny Fame’s best!
OFFICIAL LINKS: ARTIST WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – ITUNES
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