Kenan Bell: Until the Future (Sonata Cantata, 3/30/10)
Kenan Bell: “Good Day”
[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Kenan_Bell_Good_Day.mp3|titles=Kenan Bell: “Good Day”]
Kenan Bell‘s presentation of live-band, indie- and electro-inspired hip hop is a unique blend of rhymes and style. However, Bell’s young career is just as noteworthy for other reasons — namely that he’s a former grade-school language-arts teacher who has achieved a remarkable level of buzz without the presence of an established label.
The buzz is deserved, however, as Bell’s band eschews samples to blend melodic guitars and buzzing bass lines with synthesizers and fat beats. His verses often riff on the same rhyme, but his flow and originality prevent things from going stale.