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December 15, 1999
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Page 9
Kevon Edmonds voice woo’s listeners in on new album
approach that im m ediately m akes
him one o f the great. T hat supple
voice is the crucial center o f all-star
a s s e m b la g e o f s o n g w r ite r s ,
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T h ere’s som ething about K evon
E dm onds’ voice. A certain
tone, a sublim e familiarity
w ay beyond the singer/
songw riter’s w ork as a lead
vocalist in the hit trio After
7; beyond M ilestone, the
supergroup he augm ented,
w hich scored the 1997 hit,
“ I Care A bout Y ou” from
the film “Soul Food.” It is a
cosm opolitan w onder that
v oice. A v oice w ith o u t
peer? Listen to K evon’s
debut RCA solo album , 24/
7 and consider the notion.
W ith 24/7- featuring the
first single and video o f the
tit le tr a c k , K e v o n r e ­
introduces to the gam e a
s o u lf u l
in g e n u ity ,
d y n a m is m a n d g ra c e
conspicuously absent from
u rb an p o p /so u l o f late.
D uring such tracks as the
urgent groove“ ! W ant You
M ore,” the delicious mid-
tem po songs “ Love Will
B e W a itin g ” a n d “ N o
L ove,” and ballads such as
the haunting “H ow O ften”
and the big scoring “ Baby
Com e To M e,” K evon sings
w ith an em otional verve
that finds its target every
tim e. It’s his distinctive
tone that sets K evon apart,
and his intuitive, heartfelt
Kwanzaa
producers and players on 24/7 that
in c lu d e s K e v o n ’s b ro th e r, the
indefatigable K enneth “Babyface”
E dm onds, w ho is also his duet
partner during the sumptuous ballad
“A girl Like Y ou” ; hitm akers Daryl
S im m o n s (B o y z II M en, T oni
Braxton) and Tim & Bob (TLC,
Jon B, M onica), with contributions
from W alter A fanasieff (M ariah
C arey), am bitious com ers Damon
T h o m a s, T o m m y S im s, M arc
Harris, Robin Thicke, Greg Curtis,
A ngelo Ray and A -list musicians
G reg Phillinganes, N athan East,
R ic k y L a w so n a n d M ic h a e l
Thomson.
“M aking 24/7 was exciting because
it called for m e to m ove, both as a
singer and a collaborator, to another
level," says the soft - spoken Kevon.
“I w anted to w ork w ith people I
respected and people w ho could
respect w hat I have to offer as well,
and th at’s exactly w hat happened -
a com plete collaboration between
everyone involved. It was fun, but it
w as hard w ork, too. The best kind
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fro m page 5
w ork I m ust to m ake a living? H ow
far am I living o ff the m ark o f how
I w ould like to live? W hat changes
can I m ake to alter the course o f m y
life?
D ay 6 K U U M B A (CREA TIV ITY).
M o re th a n s im p ly “ m a k in g
som ething,” I prefer to think o f
creativity as bringing forth that
w hich has not existed before. W hen
I apply this idea to m yself, I can ask
on the sixth day: T o w hat part o f
m y self m ust I give birth (crea te), in
order to m eet the challenges and
p ro m ises o f m y life? C ourage,
w isdom , strength, determ ination,
faith, and love m ay be som e o f the
inner resources I feel m ust bring
forth.
D A Y 7 IM A N I (FA ITH ). Imani
has m any definitions in Sw ahili,
c o m p a s s io n ,
c o n s c ie n c e ,
convinction, faith, and kindness. O f
all these, com passion touches me
m ost, and I find m y self asking on
this last day o f K w anzaa: In w hat
w a y s d o I (c a n I ) le a d a
com passionate life? B y compassion,
o f work you can get doing something
you love.”
K evon hails from Indianapolis,
Indiana, not exactly renow ned as
cradle o f soul m usic, but certainly,
a place w here a young singer might
u n w ittin g ly h o n e a s ty le th a t
effortlessly crosses the boundaries
o f R & B and pop. O f six brothers,
three o f them - Kevon, K enneth
and M elvin - w ould go on to sing
professionally. “ I grew up listening
to som e o f ev ery th in g , K evon
recalls, “but especially the good
s tu f f - S tev ie w onder, G lad y s
Knight, the Temptations, you know,
the classics”
Too shy to sing in the church choir,
K evon sang to him self“ for my own
satisfaction” until his teen-aged
years, when he joined his buddies
in the ju n io r high and high and high
school choirs.
I do n o t m ean sim p ly h av in g
em pathy or sym pathy for those less
f o rtu n a te . R a c is m , s e x is m ,
h o m o p h o b ia ,
p o v e r ty ,
hom elessness, abuse, loneliness,
disease, ignorance, grief; these are
ju st a few o f the sources o f pain and
suffering w e all face daily in the
w orld and in ourselves.
C om passion seeks healing in the
face o f such pain and suffering. I
p o n d e r w h ere I can fin d th at
com passion and healing within first,
before I can offer it to the world
outside.
C om passion seeks healing in the
face o f such pain and suffering. I
p o n d e r w h e re I can fin d th at
com passion and healing within first,
before I can offer it to the world
outside.
W hen I was approached K w anzaa
in this w ay, these seven days help
set the tone o f the year to com e, and
the life I choose to lead.
Clyde W . Ford is the author o f The
H eroW ith An African Face: M ythic
W isdom o f Traditional Africa.
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