Artists outside
of traditional rock. Kenna
by Dan Grote
Let me just start by saying IT’S ABOUT
DAMN TIME THIS ALBUM CAME OUT. Ethiopian-cum-Virginia-based artist Kenna
started building buzz for himself when his first video, a claymation piece
called “hell bent,” bowed in late summer 2001. To his debit, at the time
he was being touted as another prodigy of Fred Durst, which is odd considering
his music sounds absolutely nothing like Staind, Cold, or Puddle of Mudd.
Two years later, Kenna has finally dropped his debut New Sacred Cow, produced
by the far-better-to-be-affiliated-with Chad Hugo of Neptunes fame.
And while this is a Neptunes-related joint,
don’t expect any guest appearances by cool kat Pharrell Williams or Jay-Z
guest raps in the bridge. In fact, don’t expect anything close to rap or
R&B, as Kenna’s album is probably thirteen of the best electro-pop
tunes the ‘80s could never come up with. It’s moody, dark without being
navel-gazing, and most importantly, it’s catchy as hell.
Take for example, “freetime,” the second
single, currently generating rotation on MTV2. If nothing else, it’s a
club track for rock kids, with the video, shot from the knees down, detailing
a punk kid’s misadventures at a rock show as he escapes his girlfriend.
Then there’s “vexed and glorious,” a song whose dreamy swirling keyboard
loops come off like Erasure for heterosexuals, while “i’m gone,” a track
that opens with a hyena’s laughter, only sounds upbeat but narrates the
story of a man “nervous and wasted” and confronting the idea that “everything
ends.” Then there’s the album’s loudest song, “red man,” wherein the keyboards
sound off like guitars as Kenna sings “Red man’s got you crazy sad,” to
which I reply, “What did hip-hop’s clown prince ever do to you?” (bad joke).
And while all of these songs will give
your car speakers a run for their money (there’s a good amount of bass
on all of them), none of them match the pounding melancholy of “hell bent,”
a ballad with a musically emotional bridge of crescendo-ing keyboards and
bass than snaps right back to the sadness of the original verses. Meanwhile,
“war in me” finds Kenna going orchestral, playing a straight piano and
adding strings.
VERDICT: Kenna isn’t exactly at the vanguard
of a new electropop trend; if anything, Junior Senior will probably beat
him to the punch with that damn “Move Your Feet” song, but there’s a slightly
more soulful and musically inventive method to Kenna’s magic that the Danish
duo aren’t going for. Kenna’s music runs more like Pink Floyd for the dancehall,
while his range allows him to write upbeat songs, downbeat songs, and songs
that just plain rock even without natural guitars.
CD Info
Kenna
- New Sacred Cow
Label:
Columbia
Records
Rating:
Tracks: Within Earshot / Freetime
Man Fading
Sunday After You
Vexed And Glorious
Better Control, A
Red Man
Hell Bent
Yeneh Ababa (Rose)
War In Me
New Sacred Cow
I'm Gone
Siren
Love/Hate Sensation
Posted by Brandon:
My girlf played their CD fr me and I cant stop listening to it, and not that she is back at college, and I didnt take teh CD with me im forced to download the songs because im broke and cant afford the CD, but I will buy it when I can and I want to see the Music video...
Posted by Kim M:
I first saw Kenna as an opening act in 7/03. I usually hate opening acts, but we rocked to every song he performed, from start to finish! I even bought his album after the show rather than buying anything from the main act! I too met him after the concert and he is totally down to earth and friendly. I wish Kenna all the success in the world, but I would almost like to keep him as a cult performer, to keep him for ourselves. :)
Keep the music coming...you're awesome!
Posted by Kenna:
I was searching the web for what the name Kenna means and came across this website. I am also an artist...and have great passion for my work. It is funny ...growing up in LA. I thought I was the only person with this unusual name, but have come to realize...like life...nothing is ever new... just repeated and relived!
I wish you much success...my website is pomore.com!
Posted by Asok:
Yeah it was. Crazy that it fits together so well. Did Kenna create the music to match the video or something?
Posted by Arun:
Wasn't the Hell Bent video originally an indie film before it was a music video for an amazing song?
Posted by cac:
I cant even find the video for hell bent, can anyone tell me where i can download from.
Posted by Asok:
So almost everyone has seen the 'hell bent' video, but no one I've spoken to knows where I could buy it on DVD. Does it even exist anywhere? I've downloaded the video already, but I love it so much I want a higher-quality version of my own. Plus, I'd rather pay for it, because Kenna deserves to get some money for putting together such a powerful video.
Posted by Vexed:
I have this album or rotation all the time i listen to it when i draw,and i get great inspiration for my designs. Kenna is different and thats what i like to be Different Kenna is the man.
Posted by Kristi:
im in love with this cd, seriously,"hell bent" makes me cry every time, its beautiful....i frequent a club that Kenna goes to and i actually got to meet him the other night. the coolest thing about it was that he introduced himself to me. they had played freetime at the club and i was dancing and singing at the top of my lungs and he came up to me to tell me it meant a lot to him to see that. thats one thing i love about him, he is very down to earth and a sweetheart.
Posted by strangelover:
The CD is great. I Met Kenna and talked with him after his concert. Cool dude. Does his own thing which makes himself and his music stand out.
Posted by Mugatu:
one of the kewlest albums ever, even for people who don't ordinarily enjoy this kind of music.
Posted by B-dawg:
VERY GOOD this Cd is like good, also i have to say that these songs have very creative beats which turly make it one of a kind. The HEll bent bent video really had a good meaning to it i remeber a coupld of years ago when i used to come home from school and turn on the tele and wait for the video to come on. SO i enjoy this Cd and all the songs on it, Go Chad! I bet he has made big bucks form it
Posted by Petah:
My friend Mike showed me the video for Hellbent and I must say this; Kenna has restored the life to claymation (I have not seen an attention-worthy one since "Sober" by Tool). I was fascinated by his Brave New World-eque portrayal of Corporate America. I immediately bought the album and I have yet to be disappointed. The CD is excellent and the artists is a genius. Keep up the good work, Kenna. You've made a new fan.
Posted by kenna:
someone sent me this link.
i think you all are very kind. thank you for the love.
let music breathe and it will find its people, its tribe.
be well,
kenna
Posted by NTM:
i first saw Hell Bent while getting ready for school back in '01.I stood stuck in front of the tv watching this "masterpiece". I told everyone about it when i got to school and they all looked at me like i was crazy. The Cd was nowhere to be found so when i walked into a Sam Goody in the summer of 03 and saw it lying in front of other "mainstream" rock artists i got the most excited i can ever remember being. With no money in my pockets i begged my friend to let me borrow 15 bucks(she gave in). By coincidence, the cashier also turned out to be a fan. He got excited that i knew of Kenna's music,I was excited that i found the CD, and we got our friend excited to hear it. Wow that was A LOT of excitement. Ever since then, i've listened to the CD pretty much everyday.The creativity behind it is undescribable. It just goes to show how some of the most truly talented muscicians go unnoticed (even if they do work with "the other guy" of the neptunes). I think we can all thank Kenna and Chad for high quality music.
Posted by j is bad:
id have to agree with j on every single aspect of his passage. hell bent...moody, meaningful, and probably the best video ive encountered. when it came out 2 years ago, i was mystified and searched for the cd the same. grand cd, excellent production, thoughful creativity, one smart man. kenna
Posted by J:
I actually saw the video to Hell Bent when it came out in 2001. My brother actually showed it to me, and I was positively floored. I searched everywhere I could (which wasn't much considering I lived in the Midwest at the time. Nothing against the Midwest, just sayin') but to no avail. No one had it, no one had heard of it. When it came out a few months ago, I was elated, ecstatic, no less. This is one of the few albums that I own that I can play, beginning to end, without skipping over those "one or two not so good" tracks. Redman is my personal favorite, but Hell Bent is the best video I've ever seen. Period.
Posted by brownsugahsoul:
i think you are totally right. im kenna's number fan. i LOOOOOOVE him and his music. i love his lyrics and i play the cd every damn day, people are definitely sleeping on him. i also love the way he performs, too.
Posted by Terence:
I purchased this cd just out of spite. I knew nothing about Kenna, nor did I hear any of his music prior to purchasing this cd. New Sacred Cow is truly a gem. This album is so well put together. Simply amazing. Chad and Kenna have created a masterpiece. Congrats! I'm a fan for life!
Posted by ALec www.dirtyamericans.com:
Kenna is truely amazing...I've had the record for a year now and I listen to it every day. there is nothing bad about New Sacred Cow...just give it a chance...I listen to mostly hard rock/metal/hardcore and punk music, and this is one of my favorite albums of all time.
Posted by the voice of reason:
Well. If no one's gonna speak up on this, I will. Kenna is, simply put, THE MAN.
