Review: Bo Keeney – Don’t You Worry (EP)

Band: Bo Keeney
Release: Don’t You Worry (EP)
Release date: 09/12/2012

It is always interesting to meet an artist who does not need the help of anyone to record and produce his music, instead only renting a shipping container to build his own studio. At only 23 year old Bo Keeney knows how to play bass, piano, drums, guitar and harmonica. He also won the British Academy of Songwriters and Composers competition when he was sixteen which eventually helped him getting signed by Stranger Records and putting out his first EP, ‘Don’t You Worry’, next month (December 9th).

Bo Keeney is a multi-talented musician born in South California and raised by two music lovers parents. Bo then moved to England, Winchester, with his family and taught himself to play all of those instruments. Today he is releasing this brilliant EP ‘Don’t You Worry’ and brings alternative to a new mix of every music genre.

The title track ‘Don’t You Worry’ is catchy and features his mum’s backing vocals on it. Some people would say it’s a bit lame to have mummy doing backing vocals on your track; but what people don’t know is that this mummy was a singer/guitarist in a band in L.A and was hanging out with the likes of Van Halen, Kiss and Guns’n'Roses. Quite a super mum to have! As the song opens in a soul, blues, folky vibe, Bo’s voice is vibrating and smoothly calling “Don’t you worry about it, worry about it baby. everything will be alright baby.”. On the second verse the track changes of road and steps onto the drum’n'bass path, becoming a perfect clubbing track. It all smoothed again with a Sinatra‘s high pitched guitar string before turning again in a slow drum’n'bass and ending in a gospel “don’t you worry about it”, ending his prayer.

‘Ambulance’ is rolling and shakes a quiet track with soul and electronic sounds. The melody is catching and easy listening with the chorus voice tone evocative of a The XX vibrato. The relaxed and quiet track contradicts the “ambulance” rush and serves a groovy mix.

‘Motivation’ is more energetic, being the most electronic tune of the EP. Remeniscent of some Sebastien Tellier sounds, the music is sweet and naive and blends the two other tracks in one.

The EP also offers two inspired remix of ‘Don’t You Worry’ from regular Skream and Magnetic Man collaborator Sam Frank and the other one from South London collective Breton. The Breton remix brings a Daft Punk meets Justice vibe to the track whereas the Sam Frank remix introduces a slow dubstep, raising tension piece with an circus style atmosphere.

Overall the EP written, arranged and produced by Bo Keeney in his shipping container studio in Winchester proves that you have to be a superhero to present a work of this quality. Bo Keeney sounds like a promising artist and is genuinely talented.

9/10

Reviewer: Alice Quintana

Tags Bo Keeney Breton Magnetic Man Sam Frank Skream Stranger Records