Kenny Lattimore: Speaking to the soul

It’s hard to find new R&B that can compete with music by musicians like Al Green, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston and Maxwell. It’s natural for music to change, but for Kenny Lattimore too much has changed.

“There was a time, back in the sixties and seventies, even the eighties, when the lyrics and the melody spoke to the soul of a person,” he says.

“All aspects of the soul. When you lose the recipe for what makes good R&B music then you end up with products the consumer doesn’t want to buy any more. I think we have bypassed the process of what R&B is all about. Today’s generation has lost the art of connecting with the soul of the person.”

It’s this connection Lattimore believes his fans will appreciate at his upcoming show in Johannesburg.

“The show is going to be intimate,” he says.

“It’s going to be more of an experience instead of just a performance. When you’re in a smaller setting, there is a way to connect with fans that you can’t do in a stadium of 30 000 people.”

Lattimore is no stranger to South Africa, as he’s been travelling to the country since the eighties and performed in a number of SA cities last year. The reason for his frequent visits is simple – his fans love him.

“I enjoy performing everywhere, throughout the world, but my SA fans are really moved by my music.” He smiles.

“They absorb every message I sing, and they walk away transformed. As an artist that is something amazing to see.”

Lattimore’s music, which he says “speaks to the hearts of women and the minds of men” aims to invoke deep emotions about life.

“I am inspired by so much. It could be watching people in the airport, art, children, relationships – even suffering and pain. Music is an art that is inspired by the depth of your soul and is triggered by all aspects of life.”

Lattimore released his seventh album Back 2 Cool earlier this year and will release a new single, Built To Last, in August. Speaking on how he has managed to stay relevant since his debut in 1996, Lattimore says: “I’ve learnt to take the boundaries off myself and my music. I bring diversity into my music because I also know how to make great jazz and pop. I’ve learnt to embrace myself, not as an R&B artist but simply as an artist.”