Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie

I’d like to highlight a new artist you probably haven’t heard of but definitely should consider checking out. His name is Kenna.

I first discovered/heard about Kenna by downloading a free single offered by as part of their Free Single of the Week (check out this week’s by visiting the site and clicking on the Free single of the week ad in the far right side-bar). The single was called Out of Control(State of Emotion). I loved this single a whole lot and ended up putting it on a few burned CDs so I could listen to music in the car while driving around.

Despite liking the single, I never really remembered to check out Kenna’s work until a few weeks ago when I was reading through a book called Blink (thanks Ross. Sadly I’m still not done. I need to take a holiday to finish reading through it).

In the book, the author mentions how Kenna had been discovered by some prominent people in the music business and they all felt he would be next big thing, however when the marketing department got a hold of his work and sent out his album to radio listeners to see how well it would work on radio, it didn’t do so well in their tests. They explain some reasons for this, but for me (part of what decision making and what the book is about), it reminded me about this artist that I need to check out.

So, I hit last.fm and grooveshark.com and listened to some Kenna. I loved it all. The music is great and different. It wouldn’t work for radio because it’s unique to the majority of what’s out there, yet still a bit familiar. Let’s face it, radio music is sad and pathetic in general. The same tracks, sounds themes over and over again but this guy breaks the mold and while he has his own unique style, it all still flows well together. If you’re someone who’s looking for new music, you owe it to yourself to check out Kenna. His last album is called Make Sure They See My Face. I picked it up on and I LOVE it.

Some general info on Kenna from Wikipedia:

Kenna, born Kenna Zemedkun, is an Ethiopian-born American musician. The eldest son of an immigrant family that relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio (and later raised in Virginia Beach, VA), Kenna began to express an interest in music upon receiving a copy of U2‘s The Joshua Tree.

If you’re on last.fm, check out Kenna’s profile here. you can listen to other Kenna tracks there as well.

Or from imeem, here’s the Out of Control(State of Emotion) below for your listening pleasure.

Visit Kenna’s website at http://www.kennakenna.com/ for more info on the artist.

Check out Kenna’s newest album, Make Sure They See My Face on . You will not be disappointed in this album. Too many great tracks available to enjoy.