Regular readers of this space have probably noticed that I tend to shy away from posting about a lot of major-label releases and big-name artists. The way I see it, most of those folks have “the machine” behind them, and since it’s that machine that makes the rules when it comes to promotion and artist exposure at most traditional media outlets I don’t think outlets like this one, which exist outside of that machine should make supporting it a priority. In fact, the chance that I’d mention an established group like Radiohead’s In Rainbows were it another entry in their Capitol Records catalog and not a foray into independence would have been pretty slim.
The unfortunate truth though is that the all-encompassing industry machine often get things terribly wrong, and talented artists signed to majors don’t always experience the same success as a lot of their less-credible label-mates and industry contemporaries. This was the fate which befell Ethiopian-born, Virgina-bred composer, musician, producer and performer Kenna, whose debut album New Sacred Cow was shifted around from label-to-label and repeatedly delayed to the point where it seemed unlikely that it would ever be released. It was however leaked to the internet. And thanks to members of the Okayplayer message board it found its way into the hands of Emeyesi and myself. We used those hands to play it on the radio.
Being exposed to this struggling talent in such a manner, and making his music a staple of our playlists, even as his industry backers scrambled to figure out how to market him, made an impression on me. I continued to support him with airplay when an official CD eventually arrived at the station a year later. I also eagerly awaited his sophomore effort, and was pretty psyched when Kenna and his music made high profile appearances in an ad campaign for Sony’s PSP. But I was more than a little worried when the album, bearing the tongue-in-cheek title Make Sure They See My Face, was repeatedly delayed in a manner akin to his debut.
The worry was assuaged when a real, physical copy of the album reached my doorstep last week, proving that it existed and setting the new release date in stone. It finally hits stores today. And while I don’t have faith that Interscope knows what to do with an artist like Kenna who defies easy classification (if I did, I wouldn’t be writing this), I have faith that some people don’t care about genre designations and marketing schemes as much as they do quality. And as much as I believe in them, I believe in the quality of Kenna and co-producer Chad Hugo’s progressive stew of Rock, New Wave, Electronica, dramatic Pop, Beatles, U2, The Cure and Radiohead-isms, and Hip-Hop beats. That’s why you’re reading about Kenna today, despite his major label pedigree.
If nothing else, at least people are finally seeing his face in the Hype Williams-directed video clip for the Pharrell-produced single “Say Goodbye to Love.” So I guess the machine can get something right once in a while.
-El Keter