Customer Reviews

Rise & Fall of Keite Young

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Innovation not only has a new name but a new face too! The name I'm frequently speaking these days is Keite Young. Originally signed to his label as a gospel artist, he found himself confined by conventional expressions of his beliefs. How does one effective express the message of the kingdom to the kingdom. For me there's nothing better than a man or woman unafraid to think outside the box. I believe The Rise and Fall of Keite Young best illustrates, "a new thing."
I won't attempt to label this project. He crosses waters most would not dare to tread. I will say how much I love this cd and that each morning these days its what I wake up to. Where do I start? You are entreated by the sweetest Southern drawl to," sit down for a minute" and that's where the ride of a lifetime begins. There are a number of influences I heard from Lenny Kravitz to DeAngelo. Some of my favorite songs include Thinkuboutmi, If We Were Alone featuring N'Dambi(HOT like fire), ENS (Everybody Needs Somebody), Masks, Hey Joy, Alright and The Wash. My absolute favorites are Pray which I'd place right alongside a Kirk Franklin or Donald Lawrence track without hesitation any day. Pressure which feels like a good, old-fashioned 70's funk jam session. The song that stole my heart is The Way That You Love Me. If you're not moved by the simplicity and sincerity of this song you might need to backtrack and figure out where you left your heart.
Suffice it to say I'm feeling this cd in an extra special way. I look forward to hearing much more from him in the future. An extraordinary effort for a new artist. So far this is one of my very favorite releases for 2007. I'm praying for continued blessings in all that he endeavors.

A lot of music coming out nowadays comes out of nowhere. For example, outside of the UK, nobody even knew who Amy Winehouse was. And even if you had a hot song or an album that was critically acclaimed, it didn't always translate into mainstream success or record sales. Newcomer Keite Young has his work cut out for him considering the amount of 'Rhythm and Pop' that currently dominates the airwaves. But with an eclectic album like The Rise and Fall of Keite Young, the R&B world might be missing out on the next level of soul music. The debut single "If We Were Alone" with the equally-talented songstress N'Dambi showcases his seductive side coupled with her deep soul. "Thinkuboutmi" teeters on the fence between funk and blues with heavy instrumentation and Young's strong vocal presence throughout. "Pray" is a song for anyone looking for inspiration during their time of need, "E.N.S. (Everybody Needs Somebody)" follows those same sentiments with a commanding gospel undertone for the song, "The Wash" is a mild serenade that rides a simple guitar chord that leads to a full-on guitar riff, and "Time" infuses a 'juke joint' feel and explains that your perception of things will change eventually...even if it's a change for the bad. Other standouts include the mellowness of "The Way That You Love Me," the rock-infused ballad "Hey Joy..." (think Lenny Kravitz) and the jammed-out closer "Pressure." The Rise And Fall of Keite Young is overflowing with heartfelt ballads, infectious jams, and smooth grooves that put him a cut above the rest. The edgy and risky rock elements might discourage some from taking a chance, but Keite Young is ultimately the kind of artist that a lot of people in the music industry strive to become.

Out of Forth Worth, Texas comes the stylized rhythm and blues/funk voice of Keite Young. Both his father and mother played music for a living, and Keite's gospel upbringing helped him become an ordained minister. A former member of Christian Soul artist Kirk Franklin's band, Keite doesn't have much use for organized religion these days while still praising God with all his heart.

"I love God, but more people are being killed over organized religion than anything else. Anything that tells you 'This decision is the only right decision' is inherently messed up."

His music is based on love rather than fear or hate. It keeps a pleading voice similar to Marvin Gaye at some moments: Prince. His debut cd: "The Rise and Fall of Keite Young" was released by the highly praised Hidden Beach label, whom always seems able to pull diamonds out of the rough.

I personally enjoy the Sam Cooke feel to this cd. This is solid accessible R&B by someone who has schooled himself in the old school values of the original 60's sultry singers. His music will be labeled `Neo-Soul' by some, which is not all bad, but severely limits the tremendous range of songs on this thoroughly enjoyable piece of musical art. His latest music and video "If We Were Alone" features a wondrous duet with N'Dambi. "The Rise and Fall" is considered a `cross-over' musical work: both R&B, early roots rock, and gospel fans will `cross-over' from their usual genre of music to pick this up.

29 year old Keite (pronounced `Keet') is wise and old beyond his years. The maturity of the production, the emphasis on joy and realization, the clarity of vision: all combine to produce a tasty stew of gospel rock & soul, accessible to all kinds of music lovers.

Jeff Feezle of Macafeez

There are a number of black male soul singers (or, if you prefer, black male singers with soulful voices) who have refused to allow their voices to restrict them to a narrow genre of music. People like Seal, Terence Trent D'Arby, Lenny Kravitz, Cody Chesnutt, Van Hunt and even lately, my man Rahsaan Patterson spring to mind and I have nothing but love and respect for all of them.

I believe I can now add Keite Young to that list. With a voice and style that conjures up in my mind any number of people from Sam Cooke to Bilal to James Brown, he could have easily gone the easy route and given us another run of the mill modern soul album. It would've been good no doubt, but it still would've been run of the mill. Young hasn't done that though, thankfully, and more power to him. Sure, he's on the Hidden Beach label but to describe what's on offer here as modern soul or neo-soul or whatever, would be too simplistic, almost misleading in fact. He doesn't depart completely from soul influences and songs like "If We Were Alone" featuring N'dambi, "Pray", the gospel-flavoured tune "E.N.S. (Everybody Needs Somebody)", the deep and funky "Time", "Alright", the acoustic guitar-led "The Way That U Love Me" and "Pressure" are all soul in its purest form.

But songs like "Thinkuboutmi", "U Got It", "Masks", "Hey Joy..." and "The Wash" are anything but soul - actually I'm not sure what they are. Soulful rock? Funky rock? Rock-influenced funk? - and these may well put certain people off, despite the fact that his soul-inspired delivery of them makes them all very interesting and exciting listening. As a previous reviewer has already noted though, whether any of this will translate into commercial success or not is anyone's guess given the kind of music that rules the airwaves these days and I guess the fact that only four people have reviewed this album before me tells its own story.

Personally though, I really enjoy this kind of music. I think it's benefical to venture out of one's comfort zone every now and then. It broadens the mind and opens up the possibility of getting into (and enjoying) music by all kinds of people one might not ordinarily consider. Young writes, co-writes and produces many of the songs here himself (some are also produced by my hero, Steve "The Scotsman" Harvey) and while I'm not going to lie and say all the songs flow into each other seamlessly, one thing I could never call this album, is boring. His lyrics are interesting and thought provoking and he's proud of his Christian background as demonstrated on "Alright", for instance, where he sings candidly about Jesus. I've said it before on here and I'll say it again: I will always respect a man who refuses to go with the crowd and dares to be different. Keite Young is one such man. Favourite tunes: "If We Were Alone", "E.N.S.", "Hey Joy...", "The Wash", "Time", "The Way That U Love Me" and "Pressure", the so obviously James Brown-inspired closer.

Highly recommended but approach with caution. A man this talented can only rise further from here but, in my opinion, he's for the listener with eclectic tastes and/or the very adventurous listener only.

there was only 2 songs on this whole cd that i liked i am glad i didn't pay full price for this cd.

Keite Young's mix for a different type of CD includes, one part "ole skool soul", another part "down home blues", with a mix of "neo-soul" and some James Brown thrown in. Stir well and you have a recipe for a different, yet appealing disc that will attract only those that can appreciate variety. He's a talented young man who obviously don't believe in the standards set by major record labels and he did his own thing. It took awhile to get my thoughts together in order to give this review, but in the end, I really liked it and hope he releases another one in the future.

Would not have heard of this newcomer if not for Amazon.. for a first album, it wasn't bad or boring but it didn't grab me. One song just sounds like Eric Benet, when Eric first came out trying to sound like Sly and the Family Stone. Another song sounds like an attempted cross between Musiq and D'Angelo. Did not detect a distinctly new sound or personality to make me sit up and take notice. In other words, there's no one "jam" that would've made me say, "hey who IS that??" if I'd heard it first on the radio. I don't know.. maybe he'll grow on me. But for now, I think Keite will become more interesting as he grows artistically.

I love the sound from Keite, I remember him from Kirk Franklin's group God's Property, he was singing his back out then and he really has a smooth sound that really is sweet. Really love this cd, can't wait to hear more.

Very nice album from the new artist. I enjoyed every track. I originally bought this for "If We Were Alone" and was surprised about the rest of the songs on this cd. You can't go wrong with buying this Keite Young cd.

Too often we allow the radio to dictate what's hot- what's not.. This is hot. The quintessential soul that only the deep and dark can deliver. Please keep this brother working. Listen to the music and purchase it. It is the only way to keep the real ones on the map. If you enjoy artists like DeAngelo & Bilal (philly neosoul artist)this will be another taste of bliss.