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KENNY LATTIMORE’S EVOLUTION by david beebe It's late Sunday night and Kenny Lattimore is almost done with his busy day. He started with breakfast, went to church, posed for our photo shoot, ate lunch, attended a press conference, joined other artists in the studio to record the classic song, "We Are Family" which will benefit victims of the 9/11 tragedy, and ended up having dinner with Venice mag to talk about his latest album, Weekend. "Weekend is a mix of love songs at various tempos. It's really an expansion of me as an artist. I wanted it to be fun. It's different from my other albums because it exposes a different side of who I am," says Lattimore. Joining him on Weekend are such noted producers and songwriters as The Characters (who have worked with Boyz II Men, Tyrese), Raphael Saadiq (D'Angelo, Lucy Pearl), and Shep Crawford (Sisqo, Tamia). The soulful singer-songwriter first captured the attention of listeners in 1996 with his self-titled, gold-certified album that included the Grammy-nominated R&B hit, "For You," which has become a classic wedding song worldwide. It also earned him a 1997 NAACP Image Award for Best New Artist. In 1998, he returned with the critically acclaimed album, From the Soul of Man, and now he's back to charm audiences with Weekend. One of seven children, Lattimore comes from a musically talented family. "My mother and father were both singers, my grandmother played the piano, and my grandfather had such a rich voice. I was influenced by their generation and my own. Music is just in my blood," he states. He got his start singing in church and school and started taking singing lessons when he was 12. His mother recognized his talent and became his full time manager when, at the age of 14, he started playing in clubs. "She was always there making sure I didn't get involved in anything negative," he recalls. The young singer has been feeling really upbeat of late. "Right now I'm at a stage where I'm really happy and feeling lighter about things. I think my other albums were almost like self-exploration projects where I pretty much put all of my emotions and feelings on display and made myself vulnerable to millions of people. In a way, it helped me become a better me," he explains. Lattimore also couldn't be happier with his love life. For the past two months he's been dating R&B soul singer Chant� Moore. "I've dated and I've dated, but this is the very first time that I've ever really felt complete. That's a great feeling when someone is crazy and fun and keeps me real as an artist. That's really important," he says with a broad smile. Lattimore admits that he keeps in touch with reality and himself through God. "I believe that God has allowed me to have this platform to positively affect people's lives. There are probably so many people that can sing better, look better, and dance better than me, but everyone doesn't get the opportunity to do so. It's a mystery why certain people aren't able to be in this situation to pursue their dreams and live them. I think God has given me a gift and that's what really keeps me going," Lattimore states. This fine young man is deeply dedicated to living his dreams, too. "I want a 50-year career. I'm not in this for a quick hit and then to get out. I want to be one of the great performers like Elton John or Stevie Wonder," Lattimore remarks in closing. With his grounded personality, family values, and strong spirituality, it looks like Lattimore is destined to go the distance. Log onto www.kennylattimore.com for more information. |