Album Review
Bo Keeney – Don’t You Worry EP
Bo Keeney is 23 year old, was born in the US but brought up mainly in the UK and has a great deal of musical talent. That much is clear from his debut EP, which contains three fine original songs as well as a couple of interesting remixes. Bo wrote the songs, sings and plays the instruments, and also arranges and produces his work in his own studio.
Keeney’s music shows a wide range of influences; he is clearly a man who believes in drawing from a variety of sources to create his own fusion. At times there is perhaps a little too much going on musically, but he has a voice that can only be describes as mellifluous and that is what stands out in all of the tracks on the EP.
Lead track Don’t You Worry is soulful with a slight jazzy feeling in the vocal delivery. There’s a bit of the old style night club singer about young Bo, it seems. The pace changes several times and Keeney’s voice is shown to be equally fine in the slower passages as well as the upbeat sections. The drums create an interesting rhythm and there is a nice guitar part almost hidden in the mix too. It’s a good single that’s bound to get a lot of radio play, although there are perhaps a few too many electronic effects late on.
Ambulance has a lovely bass line running through a tender love song that has feeling and passion aplenty. This one would make a very good single too. The third track Motivation is equally smooth and silky, featuring more synth and an intricate drum beat. Keeney’s even tones are warm and classy, but this one drags on a little at almost six minutes long.
The two remixes of Don’t You Worry come from Breton and Sam Frank. The first is electronic and uses a stuttering beat along with distorted vocals, while the second adds a wide range of sound effects yet manages to allow Keeney’s vocals to stand out.
Bo Keeney is a young man who can do it all, it seems. This very good debut EP gives us a taste of his talents, and I think we will be hearing a great deal more from him in the future.
Venue: Don’t You Worry EP
Support Band: Stranger Records