Although I’ve praised him in The Kansas City Star (here and here), Keaton Conrad remains an absurdly unheralded young Kansas City musician. That’s about to change. An appealing blend of John Mayer’s guitar heroics and Charlie Puth’s pop wiles make Conrad’s new album Nova irresistible. By deftly incorporating a dash of Harry Styles’ penchant for rock grandiosity and a pinch of Shawn Mendes’ melodic charm into his expansive sound, Conrad earns the title of Kansas City’s Prince of Pop. “I Think I Fell In Love With You” and “What Am I Supposed to Do?” sound like surefire hits. The ‘70s-ish production of a few tracks including “Rust” is bloated and the evocation of the Bee Gees hit “Stayin’ Alive” on the chillwave jam “Introspective” is only marginally effective. Yet even the weakest components of Conrad’s space-themed song cycle are impressively ambitious. Bow down.
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I write weekly concert previews for The Kansas City Star.
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I reviewed Drew Williams’ Wing Walker Orchestra’s Hazel at Plastic Sax.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
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