Having very little knowledge and no expectations of this artist I was to be pleasantly surprised with The Rise and Fall of Keite Young- what an amazing voice, I had read several articles comparing him to D’angelo and these comparisons are understandable. Finally an artist to carry on where D’angelo left off? ...unfortunately not, yes, he’s got soul, and its clear he has a great vocal ability but The Rise and Fall just doesn’t deliver as you might like it to.

I have listened to this countless times and I still cant warm to it. It comprises such a vast range of music styles, there are elements of soul, gospel, funk, and rock, but it feels a little too varied; there is no flow to it. Its obvious why it has been referred to as a rollercoaster- because you find yourself wondering what is coming next.

With a mother who is a member of Kirk franklins choir and a grandfather who was a blues singer it is no surprise that this album is so musically rich and diverse and no doubt the tracks definitely benefit from these strong influences. From the truly incredible ‘ENS (Everybody needs somebody)’, the beautifully chilled It’s Alright’, ‘The way that you love me’, to ‘If we were alone’ a collaboration with N’dambi which is a treat to the ears.

Unfortunately its diversity also has a down side too as it doesn’t do Keite Young justice as an artist. It makes it very difficult to sum him up and I don’t really know who he would appeal to. It’s great to hear all these different elements, and he executes each tune really well, but where he shows true promise, is in the soulful tunes, where his gospel background is evident and he really shines.

You get the distinct impression that he wasn’t trying to create any particular feel with the Rise and fall, or slot into any genre, and you can’t criticise him for this he just wanted to make positive music and the results worth listening to. In a recent interview when asked what he was trying to achieve with this album- his reply, to make good music and he has definitely done this with Rise and Fall.

Words by ButterBee
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