Review Summary: My friend, we meet again
I discovered Kenan Bell in 2009 when his song "Like This" was featured in the soundtrack for
NBA 2K10 (the one with lightskin Kobe on the cover) and that track stood out to me for its catchy electric guitar riffs that my naive 12-year-old cranium had never considered could be ingratiated so effectively into a rap song. As for the actual rapping, his flows are conversational and well-written. The whole presentation is a bit avant garde, but in an endearing way. I saved that song to my Spotify library, and because I followed the man's profile on that platform, he routinely shows up in my Release Radar to this day, which brings me to his newest full-length offering,
people just be saying stuff too.
A sequel to an album released last year that I will have to check out when I'm done here, this batch of tunes welcomed me in with the immediate indication that Bell is still doing things in largely the same way he was when I first learned of him as a youngin. He's collaborated with a range of A-listers over the years, from Gnarls Barkley to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to PJ Harvey, and he definitely wears the diverse pool of influences on his sleeve. "Oh Good Heavens!" is a quaint and pleasant affair, with its glistening piano keys and alluring backing vocal refrains. "Ask Me Anything" glides in on swelling saxophone arrangements and bouncy drum thumps, and it's a shame it clocks in under two minutes, like several tracks here do, because it's a fun and interesting composition. Thematically, Bell dips his toes into social commentary, remarking that 'homeless folks ain't the only ones losing they minds' and indicting the 'elected officials' who seem to only care about cleaning up the streets when some rich snobs are in town. Following right up is "Image Is Nothing," which gives us an extended glimpse at what its predecessor had going on both lyrically and musically, though erring on a much more somber and subdued note. Later on, the track "Somehow Someway" carries on what multiple earlier tracks allude to, as far as a sort of distance and detachment Bell feels; he sees himself as 'floating in outer space' and is seemingly pondering when he will, or if he even should, find his way back.
people just be saying stuff too is a quietly compelling affair. Bell's spry and chatty method of communication might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think it works for him. He delves into a host of prevalent topics and emotions, and these songs are ones I'll be eager to revisit and see how they age as this year progresses on from this early juncture. And to think I wouldn't have known he existed, let alone bothered to check him out, if I hadn't heard his music by happenstance in a video game many years ago. I think this new trove of songs is pretty
great.
