KE
Another case of "I really like this artist that no one has heard of." Ke is an acquired taste, his androgynous voice taking a few listens to get used to; although I was very shocked at the success of Billie Myers, who sounds almost like a knock-off. Ke was a little ahead to his time-- In 1995 he played folk-based in a modern rock context and spent his debut video shirtless; but not even a Top 10 hit! [Maybe he should rerelease?] Maybe the music buying public found the depth and richness of his music a little too scary. Whatever the case, Ke has occupied slot #9 of my CD player for a few years now; and I hope I can look forward to future releases from him as soulful and ennui-exploring as his first.
R. KELLY
Sam Cooke always dreamed of a rise in gospel soul music-- so I have to wonder if he isn't spinning in his grave considering the backfired state of today's R&B and the total sh** that the likes of vocally-challenged, melo-dramatist Kelly churns out. And this guy is in the same music genre as James Brown, Arentha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye? Yeah right, and "smooth jazz" is actually jazz.
KEOKI
Potato chips. They're a horrible junk food and if I buy them I eat the whole bag in one sitting and enjoy every bite. Keoki's music is potato chips. Mind you, I like him, but he's no Mozart; or my favorite techno artist. He is a guilty pleasure, a master of happy-dancy, mindless house grooves. He meanders within the Bad Techno Formula, but manages to avoid it, using fresh beats and two or three samples repeatedly instead of just one; although, prevelent on his Ego Trip album [very cool packaging], has a bad habit of turning two minutes of material into seven minute mixes. Still the same, if you want primo dancefloor fodder booming from your stereo, this'd be the stuff.
KOTTONMOUTH KINGS
Here's a marketing gambit: Will poser suburban kids buy music made by stoner white suburban kids rapping about being stoner suburban kids? Proving that gangsta rap is color by numbers and not a product of life in the hood, the Kottonmouth Kings forge gangsta rap the way the Beasties did with old school some years ago-- But can they stand the test of time like their cohorts, or will "Suburban Life" have them be remembered as a near-hit wonder?
