Akeem Kemp, Kentrell Clemons, and Juwaan Trezvant are just 19 years old. The band cannot yet accept drinks from their adoring fans but they sure know their way around the blues. I had the pleasure of stumbling upon their show when I was at Kings Live Music in Conway on an otherwise forgettable Saturday night. After listening to my friend Dan Grear (A fantastic singer songwriter, who will soon be profiled on this site), Akeem rolled up on in his customized leather jacket, and matching AK3 shirt meaning business. The trio played everything from Al Green to Jimi Hendrix and a plethora of original material as well. Akeem's vocals are impressively airy for a blues singer, and he sings with the soul of a seasoned veteran, and the fun-loving whimsy you would expect from a 19 year old. Their energetic percussion and rhythmic base round out an awesome blues sound, that will take you trough the ages. During the intermission I went to introduce myself and offer them a chance to join me in the KHDX radio booth for a live session, and a few days later the three of them were jamming in the student life center at Hendrix. Check out this live version of "I Like it All" of their album of that same title. You can download their music on iTunes as well as most major online music sellers.
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His debut album, I Like It All, was recorded while Akeem Kemp was only 18 years old and still in high school. You wouldn’t realize that though listening to his voice. His baritone voice has that timber that you would expect from a mature blues musician. Overall this is a good debut for a budding artist. There are a couple of throwaway tracks where more effort could have been put into the development but the majority of the album is quite good.
This release starts off with the swinging title track, “I Like It All,” where Akeem confesses his love of all genres of music from SRV to Michael Jackson. After that Akeem channels his inner Donnie Hathaway as he regrets his mistakes of letting his love get away with the slow ’70s soul sounds of “No, No.” The pace picks up with the too short “Tired of Wasting Time.” We’re then treated to an interesting twist at the end of “Sneaking Out” where you can close your eyes and draw parallels with a young version of fellow Arkansas native Larry McCray singing and playing the guitar. Things slow down again with the well written “No Trust,” which is filled with some interesting chord progressions and some solo work that drips with just the right amount of distortion for the song. The album wraps things up with “High School Girlfriend.” This is another good slow blues where Akeem sings about parting ways after graduation.
I Like It All suffers from a shallow depth to soundstage from a technical recording standpoint. It’s lacking a production presence when you listen to it. There is not much separation between the instruments and as a result it sounds sort of flat and one dimensional. However, Akeem has a lot of potential evidenced by his well-written slow blues numbers that makes paying attention to his offerings in the future worth the effort.
Reply
Akeem Kemp / Blog
KHDX Live Sessions: Akeem Kemp Band
Akeem Kemp, Kentrell Clemons, and Juwaan Trezvant are just 19 years old. The band cannot yet accept drinks from their adoring fans but they sure know their way around the blues. I had the pleasure of stumbling upon their show when I was at Kings Live Music in Conway on an otherwise forgettable Saturday night. After listening to my friend Dan Grear (A fantastic singer songwriter, who will soon be profiled on this site), Akeem rolled up on in his customized leather jacket, and matching AK3 shirt meaning business. The trio played everything from Al Green to Jimi Hendrix and a plethora of original material as well. Akeem's vocals are impressively airy for a blues singer, and he sings with the soul of a seasoned veteran, and the fun-loving whimsy you would expect from a 19 year old. Their energetic percussion and rhythmic base round out an awesome blues sound, that will take you trough the ages. During the intermission I went to introduce myself and offer them a chance to join me in the KHDX radio booth for a live session, and a few days later the three of them were jamming in the student life center at Hendrix. Check out this live version of "I Like it All" of their album of that same title. You can download their music on iTunes as well as most major online music sellers.
Reply
Akeem Kemp: I Like it All Review
His debut album, I Like It All, was recorded while Akeem Kemp was only 18 years old and still in high school. You wouldn’t realize that though listening to his voice. His baritone voice has that timber that you would expect from a mature blues musician. Overall this is a good debut for a budding artist. There are a couple of throwaway tracks where more effort could have been put into the development but the majority of the album is quite good.
This release starts off with the swinging title track, “I Like It All,” where Akeem confesses his love of all genres of music from SRV to Michael Jackson. After that Akeem channels his inner Donnie Hathaway as he regrets his mistakes of letting his love get away with the slow ’70s soul sounds of “No, No.” The pace picks up with the too short “Tired of Wasting Time.” We’re then treated to an interesting twist at the end of “Sneaking Out” where you can close your eyes and draw parallels with a young version of fellow Arkansas native Larry McCray singing and playing the guitar. Things slow down again with the well written “No Trust,” which is filled with some interesting chord progressions and some solo work that drips with just the right amount of distortion for the song. The album wraps things up with “High School Girlfriend.” This is another good slow blues where Akeem sings about parting ways after graduation.
I Like It All suffers from a shallow depth to soundstage from a technical recording standpoint. It’s lacking a production presence when you listen to it. There is not much separation between the instruments and as a result it sounds sort of flat and one dimensional. However, Akeem has a lot of potential evidenced by his well-written slow blues numbers that makes paying attention to his offerings in the future worth the effort.
Reply