"Blue Moods" launched Keni Stevens as a truly deserving UK Soul superstar. Robbie Vincent championed the set, calling it "simply gorgeous", Record Mirror's late James Hamilton rated it as "delicately sinuous" and Blues and Soul magazine gave him the accolade of being the 'second best newcomer' of 1987. The fact that Keni is also a really genuine chap as well only confirms the fact that the UK owes a lot to this quality gentleman of Soul. Funky Town Grooves have, thankfully, legitimately reissued this CD and good on 'em too. This, and his excellent 1988 CD, "You", have been given a fresh lease of life in 2009. As I keep saying, quality music will always be with us so an album such as "Blue Moods" is always going to be relevant to us.Truthfully, I cannot praise this album enough. It was memorable from the very first hearing, and established Keni as no lightweight UK act. "Spend The Night" is seductive and vocally I hear echoes of the Brothers Johnson. Drenched in soul, summery and relaxing this song is drop-dead gorgeous. "Passionate" features a warm vibe, complete with sultry sax from Mike Stevens. You cannot beat tracks like this. Even Bluey gets in on the act and gets his guitar strumming. The caliber of this CD gets stronger by the track. If you are a fan of Total Contrast or Loose Ends - more great UK talent - then "Too Much Too Soon" will be just the thing to sooth you after a long day. A memorable bassline, a vibrant percussion riff and cool vocals a la Narada Michael walden this cannot be beaten. My all-time favourite of Keni's - joint with "Who's Been Loving You" and the following song! - is "Cannot Live Without Your Love". If any record helps bring back happy memories of Summer it's a track such as this. Superb. With a vibe reminiscent of US star Eugene Wilde's 1989 MCA output, "Spend the Night (Food Of Love)" wipes the floor with many of what passes as ballads these days. The haunting synth and cool beats are knockout. As I say, this is now legitimately released and can be snapped up at a very reasonable price.
Barry Towler
The Vibe Scribe
The Vibe Scribe
Buy from Amazon
