There's something about Kevon Edmonds' voice. A certain tone, a sublime familiarity way beyond the singer/songwriter's work as a lead vocalist in the hit trio After 7; beyond Milestone, the supergroup he augmented, which scored the 1997 hit, "I Care About You" from the film, "Soul Food." It is a cosmopolitan wonder, that voice. A voice without peer? Listen to Kevon's debut RCA solo album, 24/7 and consider the notion.
With 24/7 - featuring the first single and video of the title track, Kevon re-introduces to the game a soulful ingenuity, dynamism and grace conspicuously absent from urban pop/soul of late. During such tracks as the urgent groove "I Want You More," the delicious mid-tempo songs "Love Will Be Waiting" and "No Love, " and ballads such as the haunting "How Often" and the big, souring "Baby Come To Me," Kevon sings with an emotionalverve that finds its target every time. It's his distinctive tone that sets Kevon apart, and his intuitive, heartfelt approach that immediately makes him one of the greats.
That supple voice is the crucial center of an all-star assemblage of songwriters, producers and players on 24/7 that includes Kevon's brother, the indefatigable Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who is also his duet partner during the sumptuous ballad "A Girl Like You"; hitmakers Daryl Simmons (Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton) and Tim & Bob (TLC, Jon B., Monica), with contributions from Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey), ambitious comers Damon Thomas, Tommy Sims, Marc Harris, Robin Thicke, Greg Curtis, Angelo Ray and A-list mucians Greg Phillinganes, Nathan East, Ricky Lawson and Michael Thompson.
Kevon hails from indianapolis, Indiana, not exactly renowned as a cradle of soul music, but certainly a place where a young singer might unwittingly hone a style tha effortlessly crosses the boundaries of R&B and pop. Of six brothers, three of them -- Kevon, Kenneth and Melvin --would go on to sing professionally. "I grew up listening to some of everything," Kevon recalls, "but especially the good stuff -- Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, the Temptations, you know, the classics."
"Making 24/7 was exciting because it called for me to move, both as a singer and a collaborator, to another level," says the soft-spoken Kevon. "I wanted to work with people I respected and people who could respect what I have to offer as well, and that's exactly what happened -- a complete collaboration between everyone involved. It was fun, but it was work, too. The best kind of work you can get doing something you love."
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