The new material is dressed in a bit more rock with touches of soul from the more folky
sounding Ken Stead who once graced the stages of The Edmonton and Canmore folk music festivals, but the folk songwriter at heart is still evident, just infused with something more. It should come as no surprise, really…this Hip Hop fan only discovered folk music when made to attend a folk music festival as a punishment, only to discover a new part of himself. A breadth of musical interest is bound to have an influence on the music one creates.
That being said, so is life experience, and if the music portrays an artist in transition, the lyrics
tell the story of the struggles that brought him forth. The man performing, though, exudes hope through positive stage presence, energy of performance, as well as jovial interaction and
chemistry with his band members. This is a Ken Stead show with higher energy but still that
same warm and sincere audience connection his fans appreciate. In fact. tonight, there is a lot of emotion, and a closeness with the audience that is rare to find.
One highlight from the new material is “Why You Afraid of the Dark” which shows a soulfulness and vocal confidence above what I’ve seen from Ken Stead before. “Trouble” is a hooky and accessible piece of pop-rock, and, incidentally, it has a music video that brought some trouble of its own since not all Ken Stead fans are happy with its portrayal of a same sex couple. Really, there was not a “zone out” moment tonight, as all the new material was strong enough to hold interest, though I can see that evolution of the music will likely also see an evolution of fan base – not everyone embraces change but change may see an influx of newcomers to the Ken Stead fan base. I for one look forward to seeing where this artistic evolution might lead.