Kenne Wayne

Daddy B. Nice's #37 ranked Southern Soul Artist

"Love Down"

Kenne Wayne

Composed by Michael Lockett and Kenne' Wayne

February 1, 2014: NEW ARTIST GUIDE ALERT!


Kenne Wayne is now the #25-ranking Southern Soul artist on Daddy B. Nice's new 21st Century Top 100 Countdown.

Go to Daddy B. Nice's new 21st-Century Artist Guide to Kenne Wayne.

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Daddy B. Nice's Original Critique:

"Love Down" is an overlooked musical roundelay from a Southern Soul musician who started out at such a young age he still seems--a decade later--to be a youngster rather than a veteran of chitlin' circuit rhythm and blues. Indeed, before Sir Charles Jones' meteoric rise on the chitlin' circuit in the 00's, Kenne' Wayne was perhaps the first place a blues audiophile looked to find Southern Soul with a hiphop or urban-smooth orientation.

Blessed with a rare talent for melody and a voice capable of projecting his tunes with clarity and passion, Kenne' Wayne hit "perfect pitch" with Love Down.

"She can lock me up
And throw away the key.
You'll never hear
A word from me.

I don't care what
My so-called friends say.
Take it from me,
They can all stay away."

The song's message--"She's got me on love down"--is a play on the jail phrase "lock down." The theme is reminiscent of "I'm Whipped" by Willie Clayton (another male artist who appreciates women),in which Willie sings:

"I guess I'm just henpecked
What can I say?
But I wouldn't have it
No other way."

In the songs of these artists, being "whipped" or "love-downed" is a guarantee that conjugal bliss will continue. And "Love Down" is typical of Kenne' Wayne material in being complimentary, even lavish, in praise of women.

There is more love for the tender sex expressed in the opening stanzas of "Super Woman," Wayne's latest radio single from the Who Is It? CD (G Street, 2004), than a bushel basket of other, more generic love songs.

"She's the first one up in the morning,
And the last one to sleep at night.
There's no problem too big or small.
She can handle it, she can handle it all.

And when the kids are sick,
And need tender, loving care,
She knows just what to do,

And when my back is aching,
From a hard day's work,
She's got a way of touching me
That makes everything feel brand new."

Not to be confused with versions of the same title by Stevie Wonder or "Babyface" Edmonds or--more recently--Nellie "Tiger" Travis, Kenne' Wayne's "Super Woman" has an oriental-style hook, which gives it a distinct, spare, almost-acapella-like personality.

More to the point, it's a stately and reverential tribute to a woman. A bride could walk down a church aisle to "Super Woman," taking a step toward the altar with each crystal-clear syllable of Wayne's vocal. If it weren't for certain details in the lyrics, one would think the subject was a mother, not a lover.

For a musician who flies so far below the national radar, Wayne has produced a surprising number of substantial songs. His smashing debut in 1996 with the instant classic, "Innocent Until Proven Guilty," displayed an R. Kelly-like ability to transform the soulful melodies of yesteryear into contemporary classics.

Ironically, Bobby Jonz's adrenalized cover ("Innocent 'Til Proven Guilty") stole much of the thunder--and merit--from Wayne's more understated and natural original.

Wayne's other oft-played hit, "The Party Ain't Over," is a rocker with a synth-enhanced bridge that recalls 80's funk and early rap. Again, one is tempted to describe it in the style of an up-tempo Sir Charles Jones (i.e. his collaboration with Mr. David on "Shoo Da Wop"), a comparison that may irk Wayne, who predates Sir Charles by many years. But the release of "Super Woman" sends ample evidence that Kenne' Wayne is alive and kicking.

--Daddy B. Nice

About Kenne Wayne

Kenne' Wayne was born in Crowley, Louisiana. He made his debut with an album entitled Old Fashion Love on Master Trax in 1995. "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" from the LP was a bona fide Southern Soul hit and immediately established Wayne as someone to watch. The tune was covered a year later with even greater success by Bobby Jonz on his In The Mood CD.

Wayne recorded Love On Me (MTE, 1997), Love Down (Master Trax, 1999) and The Licka Sticka (MTE, 2000) in the ensuing years, and--excepting Love On Me--each had at least one chitlin' circuit radio hit. The swinging ballad "Love Down" highlighted the Love Down CD. "The Party Ain't Over" drew the most response from the Licka Sticka CD.

After the 2001 CD, Wayne had a falling out with his record company and distributor, Crowley LA.-based MTE. As a result, only radio stations and a few regional record stores have received copies of Wayne's newest CD, including the oft-played new Stations of the Deep South radio single, "Super Woman."

Wayne is an active tour hound, headlining small venues throughout the Delta. McHale's in Jackson, Mississippi was the site of one of Kenne' Wayne's most visible recent concerts, October 29, 2004--the October Fall Fest--along with Shirley Brown and Pat Brown.

Discography:

1996 Old Fashion Love (Master-Trak)
1997 Love on Me (MTE)
1999 Love Down (Mastertrax)
2001 The Licka Sticka (MTE)
2006 Time to Get Loose (Goodtime)
2008 You're the Best (Good Time)

Song's Transcendent Moment

"You see, I've got it so bad
Because I've never had it this good.
She loves me--loves me,
Like a woman should.
She's got me on love down."

Tidbits

Dec. 6, 2006:

Time To Get Loose, Kenne Wayne's new CD, arrived in October '06, courtesy of Goodtime Records. The deejay and fan response has been strong, especially for "Let's Dance," "If The Shoe Was On The Other Foot" and "Soul Blues." "If The Shoe Was On The Other Foot" boasts a richly-textured melody accented by a distinctive, mid-period Isleys' guitar lick. "Let's Dance" has a sixties' feel, with an arrangement and chorus that heighten the old-school atmosphere. Along with "Soul Blues," a solid mid-tempo rocker, the material marks a substantial achievement for a CD that is barely "out of the gate," and a real "feather in his cap" for Kenne' Wayne. DBN.

2. April 29, 2008:

Kenne' Wayne has a new album coming out this month (May 2008), courtesy of Good Time Records. At first, when I heard the new single and title track, "You're The Best," I thought it was a new track from Willie Clayton. First impression of "You're The Best": gorgeous melody, heart-felt vocal. See Daddy B. Nice's Top Ten Southern Soul Singles for Mary 2008.

Bargain-Priced You're The Best CD.

--Daddy B. Nice

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If You Liked. . . You'll Love

If you liked Paul Simon's "A Mother And Child Reunion," you just might love Kenne' Wayne's "Love Down."

Honorary "B" Side

"If The Shoe Was On The Other Foot"