Customer Reviews

Make Sure They See My Face

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 2003, a self-proclaimed music snob told me, "I may've just discovered one of the most unique artists on the planet." After listening to his copy of Kenna's first album, New Sacred Cow, I concurred. It has been 4 years since I was first entranced by Cow, yet its eclectic combination of styles, hypnotic melodies, and drastically different beats have yet to grow old. I have spent much of the last 4 years sleuthing for a mere hint of anything new from Kenna, and when Make Sure They See My Face was announced, I installed a drool pan next to my bed to solve the ensuing problem.

Yesterday was the release of Face, and, after a full day of being autistically preoccupied and accomplishing little to nothing at work, I raced to the local music shop to claim my long-awaited prize. As with any highly-anticipated new recording, I was slightly nervous as I inserted the cd and began my habitual I-just-bought-a-new-album-and-will-now-listen-to-it-start-to-finish-while-driving-aimlessly ritual.

The next 52 minutes and 48 seconds were nothing short of spectacular.

Songs came in waves, each one different than the previous, always moving, sometimes powerful, never dull. Like its predecessor, Face is a conglomeration of beats you've never heard. Multiple listens will, much like repeat exposures to Radiohead, Buckley, or any other modern-day Pop Rock Bach, reveal certain nuances which were previously overlooked. Yet, for all its depth, Face catches the listener right out of the box, and many fans-to-be will be hooked after but one song. Long time Kenna Freaks will hear more of the same, and by "same" I mean "completely different than anything else." There are certain features which separate Face from Cow, as Pharell Williams of the Neptunes takes the helm for production on a few tracks (Chad Hugo and Kenna steer the rest), but I suspect most fanatics will not be disappointed with the results.

In a rapidly changing music industry, it is becoming more difficult with each passing year to define the boundaries of genre, and Kenna's music is an exemplar of the indefinable. His sophomoric release, Make Sure They See My Face, is a fresh glance at a dangerously original artist's portfolio of trance-inducing works, and I submit it is one of the best releases of 2007.

"Make Sure They See My Face" is a mature, emotionally open CD beautifully produced by the Neptunes whose arrangements support, embolden and accentuate Kenna's intelligent lyrics.
"MSTSMF" begins with and sets the tone of this CD with "Daylight": the opening string chords gloriously unfolding into Kenna's plaintive vocal and pounding yet subtle drumming and stirring guitar licks: "...let the rush of the spirit find me." "The constant is Love...We want to see Life..."
"Sun Red/Sky Blue" is Kenna at his most emotional and spiritual: "Give me your sun red, sky blue I'm falling into You." He ends the song in a rapturous, wanton even letting go of his self over to a woman and to God by extension. In any event the conclusion of this song will give you goose bumps with it's naked, screaming almost...Kenna kneeling on the altar of Love begging for direction and acceptance.
"MSTSMF" is a terrific CD full of Love, full of Life, Full of Understanding. As such it stands as a testament to Kenna's artistry and dedication.

The song that turned me on to Kenna was "Out Of Control" when I first heard it on a commercial for the Sony PSP quite a bit ago. I must admit I haven't given his first album a thourough enough listen to, so I can't compare it to this new one.

The reason I gave the album 5 stars is because of the uniqueness of Kenna's style. To me it's refreshing that his music can't be defined in one genre. I didn't know if the entire album would be quality (think: one hit wonder) but I was pretty impressed after listening to it through twice already.

"Out Of Control" is still one of my favorites, but I like "Sun Red, Sky Blue" a lot as well. Overall a solid album. I have a feeling it will be an under-rated sleeper.

If you have researched Kenna you have probably heard how unique and totally non conforming his music is. You probably also heard that he can never be a commercial success because you can't categorize his music. To the first point, Kenna is totally unique. His music is amazing. If you like, Depeche Mode, Coldplay, Bono, Duran Duran ( their few brilliant songs) and Radiohead you have to buy this album. Kenna does not rip any of these artists off. Instead you draw the correlation because you feel like you are listening to one of the "best of" from the aforementioned artists. If "Static" were released by U2 it would be a mega hit. Same applies to "Red Sun Blue Sky". If Duran Duran had put out this song it would have been huge. And on and on, with "Be Still" which sounds like Depeche and "Better Wise Up" which is pure perfection classic Radiohead. The Cure is in there too..just a bit more discreet)
All this brings me to the second point which is the lack of Kenna's commercial success being blamed on his un-catorgorizable music. This is nonsense. The fact is he has lousy promoters and record company. All the greatest were uncategorized before they became iconic. Look at the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and Cold Play to name a few. Were they mainstream? Not even close. So shame on Kenna's business managers or perhaps Kenna himself. His stuff is brilliant. The fact that it can't make it a commercial success does not line up with reason. You will listen to this album and agree. Selfishly all of this does not matter as long as I get to enjoy this wonderfully refreshing talent. Kenna is great and so is this album. Never mind the nonsense constructed around his commercial viability. Either his managers are ignorant or they are trying to be cute with their approach to making Kenna as superstar. Again I don't care as long as he keeps making great music.

I have never been so excited by a modern musician's work than Kenna! Although his works aren't easily classified as R&B, alternative or rock, his music is a unique combination of all music categories. His music makes me feel like dancing! It's an upbeat collection from one super talented artist and I can't wait for his next album!

I was walking around a competitors book store and whoever the employee who had just left for the day had inserted this CD to pipe over the sound system.

This is very remniscent for me of...U2, Coldplay, and something from the 80s sound that I can't put my finger on. It's like wine, you detect certain notes of something...but this creation is all his own. And it is unique. I bought the CD before I left the store and have been listening to it all afternoon at work. It takes me back to when I was vacationing in the Netherlands last year....this CD is great!

First of all, I would like to rate Kenna as an artist a 6/5. He is of his own genre that seems as if he could very easily be an extraterresterial from a planet light years ahead of us. As if he will not be appriciated as he should until us humans reach the year 2099. Kenna's second album, "Make Sure They See My Face" is a very solid sophomore album that was pressured from the many "underground" fans that have generated after his debut album "New Scared Cow" entered the music realm. "New Sacred Cow" is a classic record. And fans expect Kenna's sophomore effort to be the same. Most will not be dissopointed.

The album starts out with "Daylight", which introduces the distinct sound to the listener that opens up the pleasure of the rest of the album. The second song is "Out of Control (State of Mind)," which is the first official "single." I love this song. It almost seems like it could be a dance record, but the beat and his vocals are unbelievable. It forces the listener to move that is for sure.

For those of you that are Pharrell and Chad (The Neptunes) fans this album produces some of their best beats they have created. Even though, the majority of the beats are conducted by Chad and Kenna, there are two tracks that are specifically made by Pharrell. To a Neptune fan, it was easy to pick these two without seeing his name on the credits. Those two are the back-to-back tracks "Loose Wires/Blink Radio" and "Say Goodbye to Love." If I wasn't sure if "Out of Control" was a dance record, I know that "Loose Wires/Blink Radio" is. That record takes the beat back to The Neptunes "older" sound, but nevertheless is amazing. "Loose Wires/Blink Radio" and "Say Goodbye to Love" are outstanding songs to be back and back. For club goers, I am sure that these two tracks will stick out the best.

"Sun Red Sky Blue" is the fifth track to introduce the first half of the album. I do enjoy this song, however, it seems almost too much of a transition from the two "up beat" tracks before it. Maybe that is why it does not have a giant impact on me.

Kenna wanted this second album to have a more lyrical and meaningful effect. "Baptized in Blacklight" meets his efforts in full effect. The will remind the listener of a U2 song. But without Bono's vocals. Which to me, seems so much better than any U2 song. "Baptized in Blacklight" is one of my favorites on the album.

"Static" follows "Baptized in Blacklight" and follows suit the songs tone. The beat is there, but it seems all the listener can concentrate on is Kenna's lyrics. This track is no doubt the most lyrical of all of them. One of my favorites as well.

The next song on the album is "Phantom Always." I enjoy this song. It is another one of Kenna's more lyrical. It not neccessarily as "slow and quiet" as "Baptized in Blacklight" and "Static," but nevertheless, the song's lyrics grab you and it is a perfect song for the Mp3 player.

"Face the Gun/Good Luck" gets the upbeat Kenna back into play. I have heard this song before somewhere and loved it. It must have been one of the first tracks he completed for this second album. It is an inspiring song.

"Better Wise Up" signifies how Kenna can switch to different genres and blend multiple layers of music together. This song has a country, alternative, rock feel that is difficult to describe with words. It is a song that does not sound like any of his others on this album. And for that reason it is very appealing to the ear. It sticks out to me; a very original song.

The listener can easily pick up the U2 influence that Kenna possesses on "Be Still." It is a great song and is another one of my favorites on the album.

The album closes out with "Wide Awake," which is the favorite record on the album of mine. Easily. The blend of the lyrics and the melody along with the beat grab me more than any of the other songs. The song should give the listener hope that Kenna has more up his sleeve for the future. It concludes an outstanding album.

Many people will compare this ablum to his first and I am always hesitant to do so. Because each album is a completly different outlet for Kenna. "New Sacred Cow" was in my opinion a better ablum, only because it felt like it was entirly Kenna's creativeness that ensued on the record. "Make Sure They See My Face" shows that Kenna is inspired by other artists, especially U2. It does not take much away from the exeptional album, but enough to say that his debut album is still the classic out of the two.

Enjoy!

Like another reviewer, I discovered Kenna through the Sony PSP commercial. But before I continue, let my preface my review by saying a few things:

1. I wasn't always Team Kenna. Before the commercial, I had no idea who he was, his style of music or his previous work.

2. This isn't a technical review. The previous reviewers have done an excellent job with that. This will just be an "experience" review.

3. I normally listen to R&B, Hip-Hop, and Gospel. So Kenna is totally out of my normal playlist, but...

4. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this album.

And no, I'm not affiliated with him in any way, shape or form, but WOW. This CD has been on repeat ever since I purchased it. And I've been telling just about everyone I know about it. I'm a very picky person, but amazingly, I can listen to this cd in its entirety without skipping around. And if you knew me, you'd know that this is a sort of monumental achievement for me - trumpets sounded, angels did that "aaaah" thing..LoL
Yes, for me, this album is that good.

I'm almost at a loss for words about how great I think this album is. It's such an incredibly refreshing departure from the norm. His sound is so unique, unlike anything I've ever heard before. I'm glad I discovered him now and through this album. I know there's been some criticism about how some feel it's all right, but not as great as New Sacred Cow. But for me, the slower tempo has allowed me to see and hear who Kenna is - a great introduction in my opinion. I don't think I've ever been fired up about someone's music, but I can honestly say this is by far the best album I've ever heard.

My Top 5:
1. Daylight
2. Loose Wires
3. Baptized in Blacklight
4. Static
5. Face The Gun

Honorable Mention:
1. Out of Control
2. Phantom Always
3. Be Still

On another note, I had the opportunity to meet him during his current tour with She Wants Revenge. He did an in-store performance and signing at a local record store in Atlanta. Very cool, warm and humble guy. Later that night, he opened for SWR at a show at The Loft. AWESOME PERFORMANCE. If you ever get the chance to see him live, GO. Put it on your calendar now, get that "I need to take a day off from work" excuse sorted out, whatever you need to do. Just GO. But do yourself a a favor now: get the album and support great music.

GO TEAM KENNA!

Singer-songwriter Kenna Zmedkun has an interesting backstory. As the son of Ethiopian immigrants, he migrated from Africa to the United States, where his family settled in Virginia. It was there that he honed his skills as a musician, and got recognition as a songwriter. He made his debut on fellow singer-songwriter Shea Seger on her 2001 debut "The May Street Project" co-writing the song "Clutch". Two years later, he signed to Flawless Records- an Interscope distributed imprint owned by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. The album suffered from numerous delays until he decided to leave the label for Columbia Records to release his debut "New Sacred Cow"- which was primarily produced by Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. The record was critically acclaimed but did rather lukewarm numbers, which resulted in Kenna's departure. There was a brief feature done on him in the 2005 Malcolm Gladwell authored book "Blink" about his troubles within the music industry. After he laid low for a few years, he signed with The Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment label to release his sophomore effort "Make Sure They See My Face".

Though his second album is billed as being produced by The Neptunes, it was done separately with every song being produced by Chad Hugo, with the exception of the radio accessible "Loose Wires" and the first single "Say Goodbye To Love", which were produced by Pharrell Williams. On this album, he continues down the road of industrial music and mid-80's synth-pop- a sound that's made familiar by the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Duran Duran and Depeche Mode. He steps outside of his comfort zone with the dance-rockers "Sun Red Sky Blue" and "Baptized in Blacklight". The song "Phantom Always" features a left field guest appearance from pop singer Justin Timberlake. Producer Ethan Johns (who is best known for his work with Leona Naess, Tift Merritt, Ryan Adams and Kings Of Leon) plays bass on the opening track "Daylight". The album is fairly uptempo, but Kenna manages to sneak in a few ballads here and there, such as the piano driven "Static", "Be Still" and the closer "Wide Awake". For the most part, "Make Sure They See My Face" is a little more radio friendly than its predecessor and Kenna shows how versatile he can be sonically. The only downside to this album is that- much like his debut- the record label left a lot to be desired on the marketing and promotion. Still in all, this is one record worth checking out.

I got this CD knowing I've only like one some on it "Static". I truly enjoy every song on this CD, make me mad thinking I've just now heard about him. Kenna is crazy good.