by Chris Cameron
Kenny White has written and arranged hundreds of songs. His music reaches a wide audience through radio and television. In fact, you've probably heard many of White's songs and didn't even know they were his.
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That's because many of them are commercials.
Keep in mind: it takes a pretty clever songwriter to pack a memorable melody into a 30-second commercial. And White has written plenty of memorable melodies. So it's no surprise that the guy can write a good pop song. The title track off his debut CD, "Uninvited Guest," brings to mind an early Elvis Costello, while other tracks like "The Beautiful Changes," are perfect for a smoky jazz bar setting. |
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White’s lyrics read like the adult-contemporary version of an Eminem song - instead of a murder, we get a missing digit. But in the end, we forgive White for his interminable lyrics and praise his ingenuity to combine a strange tale with great music. Carry on, Sir.
The following is a recent interview with the songsmith.
DreamsAwake: When was the album released?
A: The album was finished last year, and released, somewhat officially, this year.
DA: “Uninvited Guest” has an unwelcome feeling to it, and since you’ve written it from the guest's point of view, the listener feels what it is to be the "uninvited guest." It's not a pleasant picture. It's also an oxymoron isn't it? I like that - it's a clever album title.
A: Thank you.. It was intended to be a double entendre - the oxymoronic meaning, which you picked up on - and also the reaction to the arrival of a new, demographically challenged, singer-songwriter.
DA: “In My Recurring Dream,” did you really dream all of this? I guess you must have.
A: Three of the dreams I've had since childhood. One of them, I dreamt only once. One was a real experience. And one is the dream that I hope to be having in the near future. Look for the answer’s in next Sunday’s Living Section.
DA: I wonder how a psychologist would analyze it all?
A: The psychoanalysis seems to be textbook Freud, at least the part of killing off the father. The rest is just the product of way too much sugar before bed.
DA: Some of your songs are tightly packed with lyrics, and yet they work. You maintain a balance between the lyrics and the music. How do you keep the words from becoming too much?
A: I'm not certain they aren't too much. The main criteria for me while writing, were that the songs be depicted as honestly as possible. I shut off the governor and went for it. I think that the lack of structure in words and meter became part of the story. In other words, the way I was telling the story was as important as the story being told. Funny, the two songs with the most lyrics are not even on the CD. I envy those who can say a lot in a little.
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DA: How long did this album take to complete? A: I hadn't intended to make a full album. The entire project was done over a seven-month span. In actual working days, probably less than a month. The encouragement I received during the process led to me writing enough songs to complete the CD - and to even toss a couple. DA: How did you start out in the music biz? A: High school bands, long crappy gigs for no pay, recording sessions - y’know, the straight resume. The turning points in my life were getting the Jonathan Edwards gig, moving to New York and into the TV commercial scene - where both my craft and self esteem flourished. Producing Holly Palmer and Peter Wolf's CDs - which proved to me that I was ready to take the path back to songs that were longer than 30 seconds; playing in the New York scene - which is unbelievably deep. And culminating with finding the voice to take a chance on my own career. Essentially, I'm once again just starting out in the music biz. To answer your question, which I believe I still haven't, I had to. I had no other distinct talent. |
DA: Where are you from, and where do you live now?
A: Born in NY, raised across the bridge in Ft. Lee, New Jersey, and after an 11-year
excursion to Boston and environs, I’m back here in Greenwich Village, NY.
DA: You've written jingles for a lot of commercials. What're some of the commercials you've done?
A: I've written or arranged hundreds . . . Coca Cola, Diet Coke, AT&T, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Cheerios, public service ads, Revlon, JC Penney, Sears, Pepsi, McDonalds . . . really too many to mention here, but you'd know a lot of them. It’s an extremely anonymous profession.
DA: Which is most rewarding: writing for someone else, or recording your own album?
A: I'm sure the politically correct choice would be to say, “Why, both, of course.” But I'd have to say writing, recording, and performing my own stuff - hands down.
Obviously, collaboration leads to a different type of fulfillment, and a chance to be a bit more selfless. To be a good collaborator is a talent in and of itself. Throw in writing or producing skills . . . I don't know. Are two heads better than one? I'm going to think of five great songs and see if they were written by one or more than one person.
DA: Will there be another Kenny White album?
A: Barring the unforeseen, I certainly would say so. Of course, the unforeseen might be just
the propellant for “Uninvited Guest” to get its due. On second thought, I'd rather be around to witness the more laborious rise up the charts.
DA: And lastly, what are you working on this summer?
A: Touring quite a bit - I'm out with Jonathan Edwards for a bunch of dates, Cheryl
Wheeler for a few, and I'll be opening for Shawn Colvin in August. And hopefully, playing a few with them all. I’m also obsessing about having to get into the studio by the year's end, as I'm
continually reminded that although our collective weight is ever on the incline, our collective
attention span and memory is unfortunately headed the other way.
For further information on Kenny White, visit his website at www.kennywhite.net.