Kenneka Cook

Singer, songwriter, and musician Kenneka Cook combines classic jazz, neo-soul, and cosmopolitan pop in a melodically rich manner that reflects inspirations including Billie Holiday, Erykah Badu, the Cardigans, and Vampire Weekend. As a youngster, the Richmond, Virginia native nurtured her talent at school and in church. During college, she started recording a cappella material with a laptop, and later had something of a creative epiphany after seeing Reggie Watts perform with a looping pedal. Acquiring a pedal of her own enabled her to layer multiple vocal and percussion tracks for recordings, including a version of Cole Porter's "Night and Day," and performances. During the summer of 2017, however, Cook recorded her first album with producer Scott Lane and a crew of several instrumentalists including keyboardist Devonne Harris (aka DJ Harrison) and saxophonist Sid Kingsley. A couple tracks from the sessions, "Don't Ask Me" and "Moonchild," were out by the end of the year. Moonchild, the parent album, was released the following February on the Richmond-based American Paradox label. ~ Andy Kellman