By Dee Dee McNeil
On March 16th, a warm California Sunday evening, I attended the concert of KEM. What a riveting and exciting experience.
Kim Lamont Owens is a soulful singer, an artist simply known as “KEM.” His voice and music cross borders and genres. He’s often classified as an R&B soul singer, but his style and songwriting could easily be interpreted as smooth jazz.
KEM’s roots are planted deeply in today’s USA music capital of Nashville, Tennessee. He was born there. However, KEM moved to Detroit, Michigan (another music capital of the world) at five years old. There, he was raised in both Southfield, Michigan and in the city of Pontiac, just outside of Detroit.
KEM’s first gold record was his debut album as an artist, called “Kemistry.” He sponsored the recording himself by working as a wedding band singer, waiting tables, and using his American Express card.
As an independent artist, KEM’s music was so unique and infectious, it received plenty of attention and airplay. People loved his sound. Consequently, the resulting popularity teased Motown Records. Here was an independent artist who could make the ladies swoon like Marvin Gaye, but also had a jazzy edge, a tone similar to Al Jarreau. Motown wanted him on their label.
When Motown re-released his debut album, it sold more than 500,000 copies and was quickly certified Gold by the RIAA. But that was just the beginning.
His next release hit the airwaves in May of 2005. It was certified Platinum. You may remember his hit single, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” that rose up the adult contemporary radio charts. It was so popular, he won the Billboard Music Award for “Top Adult R&B Single of the Year.”
This unique artist has continued to write and record music, while gaining international notoriety. In 2026, he continues his legacy with a brand-new album titled “Alkemy.” When I heard that KEM would be performing at the Los Angeles Blue Note Club, I was excited to see him “live” in a small club venue. I find these intimate settings to be much more conducive to experiencing an artist than the large arenas, especially when it comes to jazz.
Photo © by Maricea Muhammad
The BlueNote Los Angeles holds 200 people. It was sold out. We arrived half an hour early and almost all the seats were full. A deep, navy blue hue hung over the excitement in the room. Because of the intimacy of the club, there were no bad seats. KEM’s quartet took to the stage. Then, the artist appeared. He looked amazing in a three-button dress suit, (a single button in the middle and two beneath it on either side of the jacket). The vocalist looked stylish and cool when he entered the room from a backstage door. His butter-smooth voice melted over the expectant crowd as he opened his show with, “You’re On My Mind.” KEM immediately captivated the crowd.
On stage, the silky-smooth vocalist made his audience feel comfortable. He spoke to us as though we were old friends or family. The singer and composer shared a story about meeting his mentor, Al Jarreau. He told us the KEMestry LP had just been recorded. To make ends meet, he was waiting tables at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Detroit, Michigan. That’s when he heard that George Duke, Roberta Flack and the artist he admired, none other than Al Jarreau, would be performing at that hotel. He had a couple of copies of his still unreleased (but pressed up) independent album with him. His plan was to meet and greet George Duke and Al Jarreau, and to give each one a copy of his newly recorded music.
As fate would have it, KEM spotted Al Jarreau standing in a quiet part of the hotel, smoking a cigarette. Hesitant but determined, he approached Jarreau. They shared a conversation. Al was warm and receptive. Before KEM could tell Al that he was a singer and had a debut project that would soon be released, Al began to tell him a story about how a tune he had recorded called “Blue in Green” developed from a relationship between the iconic pianist and composer, Bill Evans and jazz legend Miles Davis. The stories that Al Jarreau shared captivated the younger artist. KEM was stunned and happy about meeting his inspiration and impressed with how laid-back and cool the superstar had been. He even forgot all about giving Jarreau a copy of his new album.
The next time KEM ran into Al Jarreau was when he opened for Jarreau at the Long Beach Jazz Festival. It was like reuniting with an old friend. Al Jarreau embraced KEM and remembered him. They shared another conversation. This time Al Jarreau suggested that he and KEM record an album together. He said they should call it “AlKEMy,” a combination of their names, their original music, and a blend of their voices. Sadly, the world lost Al Jarreau on February 12, 2017. But the dream KEM had of recording with his vocal mentor lived on.
Nearly a decade later, this dream album is coming to fruition. When KEM met with Robert Glasper, a Grammy winner, an in-demand record producer, pianist, songwriter and musical arranger, Glasper suggested they re-arrange KEM’s trademark hit records “Love Calls” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”
KEM gave Glasper free range as his producer for this Motown project. He performed it for us during his BlueNote performance. Another beautiful song from this new album was “In My Dreams.” It had a rich, lovely melody.
KEM performing at BlueNote with bassist, Al Turner and Ron Otis on drums. Photo © by Maricea Muhammad
All those wonderful background voices you hear on record were played on the synthesizer by Demetrius Nabors, KEM’s talented pianist and keyboard master A sweet saxophone solo opened the next tune “I Think About Us” played by Jamal Mitchell.
The crowd reacted to each and every song, shouting encouragement and pleasure from the audience. Their voices raised in appreciation when he began singing “How Did You Find Your Way Back Into My Life.” During the instrumental break, KEM left the stage and walked comfortably through the audience, finding couples and challenging various men to sing the line “…back in my life…” The audience loved it and so did the spouses who were being sung to.
KEM talked about feeling gratitude and empathy. Those emotions thread their way through his musical productions. He chuckles when he tells the attentive crowd that he had wanted a record deal for years. Finally, at age thirty-five, he was offered one. It came after paying years of dues. But he admits, it was the perfect time. By then, he was at an age when he could really appreciate success.
The other thing that completed his circle of life was love. He met and married his current wife. Together, he told us, they completed their family with eight children.
In tribute to Al Jarreau and the project they had talked about doing, KEM includes some of Al’s original music during his ‘set.’ One of Jarreau’s huge hit records was “We’re In This Love Together.” It was a crowd-pleaser. Everyone started singing along with KEM.
Ron Otis was dynamic on drums all night, punching the rhythm and instigating the funky grooves. Randy Bowen was super talented on guitar, adding strength to the tight rhythm section. Al Turner added his magic, locking hands with the drummer, playing both electric and double bass, with Demetrius Nabors on keyboards. KEM’s band was fire!
This talented artist offered us his whole heart and soul during the performance. KEM will be touring worldwide to promote this new album. When he comes to your city, try to catch him ‘live.’ It’s a wonderful experience.
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Dee Dee McNeil CDs, “STORYTELLER” and “WHERE CAN OUR LEADERS BE?” are Online at CDBaby.com or Amazon.com. As a journalist, Dee Dee is available to write liner notes, biographies and feature articles on jazz musicians and singers. Contact her at ddmcneil@aol.com or leave your message and phone number at 248-262-6877.
DEE DEE McNEIL
Dee Dee McNeil is An Educator/Singer/Songwriter/Poet/Journalist/Producer & Playwright. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, her poetry was published in the first edition of Dudley Randall’s poetry anthology, “The Broadside Annual.” Several other anthologies followed. As a contract songwriter for Motown Records, several iconic artists have recorded her music including Diana Ross & the Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, David Ruffin, Edwin Star, The Four Tops, Nancy Wilson, Rita Marley, Kiki Dee, Jonah Jones, Side Effect, Rapper ‘Styles’, LL Cool J, Gip Noble, The Marvelettes, Robert McCarther, Peggy Duquesnel and the historic Rap group, The Watts Prophets, of which Ms. McNeil was a member. She moved to Los Angeles in 1970 and became an alumnus of Budd Schulberg’s Watts Writers Workshop. She was one of the first women to Rap in the late ‘60s and early 70’s, speaking up for women’s rights. She recorded as a member of the Watts Prophets in 1970, reciting her original poetry, playing piano, singing and adding original music to their premiere release entitled, “Rappin’ Black In A White World,” named from a song McNeil penned with co-writer, Marthea Hicks.
Her articles and Cd reviews have appeared in Cadence Magazine, All About Jazz Newspaper and she had a jazz blog at www.lajazz.com for five years. As a freelance journalist, her articles have appeared in Good Old Boat Magazine, Pathfinders Travel Magazine, Ambassador National Italian-American Foundation magazine and many more. she was a music journalist for the AOL.com owned Patch Online newspapers. Her Column was called “Music Matters.” She once had a Jazz column in the Michigan Chronicle Newspaper. Another of her syndicated entertainment columns appeared in several newspapers across the country and in Canada. In 2009 her book “Haiku In My Neighborhood” was published, featuring the photography of Roland Charles.
In 2010, she presented her “Haiku In My Neighborhood” literary enrichment program as part of the City of Inglewood Parks, Recreation and Community Services, teaching haiku to children aged five to eleven as part of an after-school program. In 2011, she successfully presented the same program for older children at the Horace Mann Junior High School in Los Angeles. In 2012, one of her short stories was chosen and featured by the Sally Shore “New Short Fiction Series” read and presented by actress Angela Gibbs at the Watts Towers under the banner of “From the Ashes Revisited” to tribute the Watts Writers Workshop alumni. In 2014, her short story entitled “Singing My Way Through Adversity” was published in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries – 101 Stories of hope, Healing, and Hard Work.” In 2016, her essays were published in three separate “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books: “The Spirit of America”, “My Very Good, Very Bad Dog,” and “The Joy of Less.” Currently, she has a jazz blog where she previews CDs and writes feature articles about jazz artists at www.musicalmemoirs.wordpress.com and she contributes to LA Jazz Scene.buzz with a column called “Dee Dee’s Jazz Diary.”