We Plug 2 Y.O.U... Kae Sun - Lion on a Leash

Hello Guys. TGIF!!!! No seriously, Thank God it’s Friday. I feel like a drink and its 2am in the morning but moving on. This week the boss gave me an assignment that I just was not feeling. Not because the album wasn’t great, but I just wasn’t in the space of mind for that genre of music. Does that ever happen to you? I go entire weeks not wanting to listen to a certain genre of music; you know blues, or country or anything soulful. Sometimes it’s my cherished hip-hop/rap at which point I think the end is near btw.  But the boss was not trying to give me a week off, he quickly sent me something else cos he knew my ass was happy about the whole situation and I’m so glad he did. You see this email has been in my inbox since July. What is it now? September!  Like seriously, I’m a bad employee. But, better late than never right? Right! Let me introduce you then to Kae Sun.

Toronto-based & Ghana-born Kae Sun is a soulful folk musician who draws on modern hip-hop, classic rock, and traditional African music genres to create a distinct, dynamic sound of his own. I believe this is the first African that is Non Nigerian on our blog. #teamAfrica. He is blessed with a gift, Kae Sun is. I have repeated his album Lion on a Leash three times and I just got it a couple hours ago. Every song is done with perfection; it was very hard for me to pick just three for this post. So guess what I did? I picked four. Yes we can.

In a world filled with music by the likes of Soulja boy and the rest it’s great to see artists with a message in their song like Kae Sun in his song 'Too Young, Too Soon'.  In this song he reminds us that the world is watching and we have too much to lose for us to keep fighting.  “But we can’t keep reaching for love from a distance”. Plus is it just me or is the sound Fela or Femi Kuti reminiscent? For the first half his album you could hear that indigenous African sound and I loved that.

  

This next song, 'Going the Distance' is “it” for me. So sweet and so powerful because you can just hear the honesty in it. Plus is it just me again or is this song so John Mayer ish? I love John Mayer and dare I say Kae Sun went one up over him with this song. I love the simplicity in the lyrics of this song as well. It’s a very beautiful thing to hear a man speak of a woman and of love in this way. “It’s a sure bet that nothings gonna change, you got my respect you can lay all doubts to rest and it’s a sure sign that heavens on our side this way, come what may I’m going the distance with you, all the way”. Great song.

 

Have I said this yet? This guy is GOOD.  If he is the one playing the guitar in this song below, 'Blow at the Stars' as well, then he deserves a standing ovation or a round of applause at the very least. I hate to do the comparison to John Mayer again, really I do and it’s not in the voice it’s in the music and the lyrics. If I could request any song for him to perform, it would definitely be this one. This is so soulful to me and still great enough for people who are not fans of this genre. Your loss btw.  “A man without a shadow is a man without a conscience”.

 

Just when you think you are done and still trying to appreciate how versatile an artist Kae Sun is, you hear 'On the Lookout'. After you listen to this song, I think you should go over to youtube to peep the video.  The creativity of the video is so telling of this guy’s work. Due props to the producer, director and all those behind the scenes of course. I just love how he was able to bring it back to the sounds of today. “Why everybody got that mask on? Try hard to be anonymous, too many ways to be discovered”

 

I really loved this album. Death to the skip button on it as well. You definitely need to support Kae Sun and have this album in your library if you are a lover of good music. If you live in Canada, i'm so envious because he is performing all over in the next couple months. Get dates to his perfomance here. So tell me guys what do you think? Will love to hear your feedback.

Purchase: Kae Sun - Lion on a Leash

And i'm out till next week

Peace, Love and Good Music

Neefemi