For whatever reason why Kevon Edmonds took a decade to finally release his sophomore disc – Who Knew – the anticipation was quite high to say the least.After all, this is a singer who showed a lot of promise in the R&B world during the nineties before he practically dropped out of sight.He is also related to a singer/songwriter/producer brother who has a fairly good handle on creating smooth hit records.While in college, Kevon formed a vocal trio that made some noise on the R&B charts.When the group disbanded, he launched a solo career with a successful recording debut.However,the events of 9/11 and his desire to pursue other areas of entertainment kept Kevon away from the studio for almost a decade.Even though many identified him as the younger brother of Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, no one could ever accuse the vocally sound Kevon of ever riding on his older brother’s coattails.
The Indiana-born Edmonds family boasts several brothers, including Kenneth, Melvin and Kevon.At first, Kevon was leaning on majoring in a subject matter other than music.Then after taking some classes centering on the business side of the music industry, the IndianaUniversity graduate was more convinced he had a chance to flex his talents to the world and apply his business savvy behind the scenes.Thus the group After 7, which included Melvin Edmonds and Kevon’s classmate Keith Mitchell, was birthed.For awhile, the group paid the usual dues with local gigs.Eventually,they signed with Virgin Records and entered into a partnership deal with Babyface and fellow musician Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, both members of another popular R&B vocal unit The Deele.Beginning with their self-titled debut in 1989, After 7 experienced crossover success on the urban and pop charts with hits like “Can’t Stop,”“Nights Like This” and “Ready or Not.”They earned their concert performance stripes as well opening for superstars such as Whitney (Houston) and Frankie Beverly (Kevon recently contributed to a Beverly tribute entitled Silky Soul Music).When not with After 7, Kevon’s soulful tenor was featured with Babyface on several concert engagements.Two years after After 7 disbanded, Kevon released his debut in 1999 – 24/7, resulting in two R&B hits including the title track.
Despite a decade-long hiatus as a solo recording artist, his loyal fans did not forget Kevon’s heartfelt voice.Who Knew is Kevon’s first solo project as an independent artist and the first without the musical support of any Edmonds family members. This Make Entertainment release does not completely forego that nineties soulful sway that made After 7 a solid R&B staple.The recommended tracks to check out on Who Knew include the pop/urban crossover ballad “Hurts Too Much To Cry,” the first single “Oh” about mutual respect in romantic relationships: “In this moment we resolve to redefine how we choose to love and treat each other kind” and the mid-tempo “April’s Fool.” Who Knew also has a few stumbling points.Two self-congratulatory phone interludes weigh down the continuity of this all too short disc of barely past thirty minutes; and “Callin’” is a lyrical disappointment and a production disaster because of those dreaded autotune tricks.Considering everything, Who Knew justifies some of the anticipation from such a long wait. Maybe next time, Kevon will find an excuse to record more material on his next disc and not wait so long to do so.
