Lynzie Kent

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: LYNZIE KENT - SOMETHING WILD

It's always great to hear a new voice (well, new to me), and a good way to start off a new year. Ontario's Lynzie Kent has just released her disc, called Something Wild, and features a parcel of excellent singing on what we used to call rock songs. Produced by Jann Arden vet and Juno winner Russell Broom, the disc has an in-your-face boldness, without any trickery, just strong tunes with good stories, and a singer who makes you want to hear them. If anything, it's a throwback to a day when you had to put some thought into the composition if you wanted to make a decent disc, instead of the Black-Eyed Peas view of the world, keeping it simple and stupid.

I take back my original statement, I think I actually did see Kent before, because she used to sing with God Made Me Funky in 2006-7, and I think that's right about when I saw them. But since then she's been slyly building up the fans by doing what she does best, singing, although instead of constant touring, she's been constantly updating her YouTube channel, adding cover after cover of current hits, just aided by acoustic guitar buddy Rich G. The result has been that millions of hits later, fans know what she can do with Kings of Leon and Adele tunes, but hopefully they'll stick around for her own.

I think, in the post-Adele world, people will be looking for actual singers who put some emotion into it, and Kent's a good bet. Not only can she soar with power in a couple of registers, she can front tracks with big drums, bells and whistles. There's certainly a touch of 90's and some 80's too, as if to emphasize this isn't about hip-hop, dance, nu-country or singer-songwriter, it's a pop-rock album. While most of the songs have an edge, Kent isn't above having fun too, with lead single (available as a video) Whoop Dee Doo, a Girl-Group/New Wave bouncy, winning track. Anyway, I can't tell you how much I wish radio would go this way, Kent's way, for 2012, because this is the kind of Top 40 I wish we had more of. - Bob Mersereau's Top 100 Canadian Blog

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: LYNZIE KENT - SOMETHING WILD

It's always great to hear a new voice (well, new to me), and a good way to start off a new year. Ontario's Lynzie Kent has just released her disc, called Something Wild, and features a parcel of excellent singing on what we used to call rock songs. Produced by Jann Arden vet and Juno winner Russell Broom, the disc has an in-your-face boldness, without any trickery, just strong tunes with good stories, and a singer who makes you want to hear them. If anything, it's a throwback to a day when you had to put some thought into the composition if you wanted to make a decent disc, instead of the Black-Eyed Peas view of the world, keeping it simple and stupid.

I take back my original statement, I think I actually did see Kent before, because she used to sing with God Made Me Funky in 2006-7, and I think that's right about when I saw them. But since then she's been slyly building up the fans by doing what she does best, singing, although instead of constant touring, she's been constantly updating her YouTube channel, adding cover after cover of current hits, just aided by acoustic guitar buddy Rich G. The result has been that millions of hits later, fans know what she can do with Kings of Leon and Adele tunes, but hopefully they'll stick around for her own.

I think, in the post-Adele world, people will be looking for actual singers who put some emotion into it, and Kent's a good bet. Not only can she soar with power in a couple of registers, she can front tracks with big drums, bells and whistles. There's certainly a touch of 90's and some 80's too, as if to emphasize this isn't about hip-hop, dance, nu-country or singer-songwriter, it's a pop-rock album. While most of the songs have an edge, Kent isn't above having fun too, with lead single (available as a video) Whoop Dee Doo, a Girl-Group/New Wave bouncy, winning track. Anyway, I can't tell you how much I wish radio would go this way, Kent's way, for 2012, because this is the kind of Top 40 I wish we had more of. - Bob Mersereau's Top 100 Canadian Blog

“Sassy female vocal hooks.” –Metro News Toronto

“‘Enter the Beat’ is saturated with Kent’s soulful voice.” –The Guelph Mercury

“New singer Lynzie Kent is a great replacement, contributing huge rock-and-roll vocals and the occasional Blondie-esque rap.” –HipHopCanada.com
- Various

“Sassy female vocal hooks.” –Metro News Toronto

“‘Enter the Beat’ is saturated with Kent’s soulful voice.” –The Guelph Mercury

“New singer Lynzie Kent is a great replacement, contributing huge rock-and-roll vocals and the occasional Blondie-esque rap.” –HipHopCanada.com
- Various

Guelph's Lynzie Kent launches her first solo CD at Manhattan's tomorrow evening

August 09, 2008
Joanne Shuttleworth
Mercury Staff


After a whirlwind year-and-a-half with the Juno-nominated band God Made Me Funky, lead singer Lynzie Kent is finding her own voice in her first solo CD, "Find the Words."

She's launching the CD at Manhattan's, at 951 Gordon St., tomorrow night and at the Smiling Buddha in Toronto Tuesday evening.

It's a project she started about three years ago, before auditioning to be lead singer for God Made Me Funky. Winning the coveted lead singer spot with the band in 2007 has taken her on tour across Canada and into the recording studio, which consequently pushed her solo album to the back burner.

Until now.

"I wrote, recorded and produced the CD in my spare time," said the Guelph native in a phone interview from Toronto, where she also holds down a part-time office job. "This year has been about juggling time and staying focussed."

God Made Me Funky plays a genre of music it calls nu-funk -- a mix of funk, blues, hip-hop and pop. It's high-energy, danceable music that draws out the performer in Kent, who trained in the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts's triple threat college program -- acting, singing and dancing.

"God Made Me Funky is a party band -- they really rock," Kent said. "With the band, I take on a character on stage and it's totally fun.

"The solo album is really about me as an individual. These songs come from the heart."

This CD is more adult-contemporary, although Kent herself hears "cross-over country" in the 11 songs she wrote.

"I never intended to sound country, but I love Sheryl Crowe and the Dixie Chicks. This CD is closer to what I grew up with and artistically, it's gratifying," she said.

The songs are about first love, lost love, empowerment and new-found independence.

The touching "Daddy" made her father's eyes well up the first time she sang it to him. Her parents, Bill and Janine Kent, are both musicians with the decades-old cover band Double Exposure and Bill helped his daughter with the lyrics and the musical arrangements on the CD.

"I wrote a song for my father but I couldn't play it for him for a long time -- not until his 70th birthday. So this is really sweet, very touching," said Bill Kent, who is also helping with promotion and booking solo gigs for Lynzie around God Made Me Funky's touring dates.

"New Red Shoes" is about being strong and standing up against bullies and abusers.

"I think (the songs) are a good depiction of a young singer-songwriter," the 23-year-old said. "I called it "Find the Words," because that's what I'm doing -- figuring out who I am."

The band embarks on a 21-gig national tour in September, and then on to the U.S. or U.K. in October with plans to record a new CD next spring.

Kent says she can do it all -- tour with GMMF, promote her solo CD and continue to write new songs. If something has to go, she hopes it's the part-time job, "but I need that too, right now," she said, adding the music business is not always lucrative.

Right now her path includes long hours and hard work.

"I don't party," she said. "I drink tea, get eight hours of sleep, and keep on top of things with a to-do list. It's hard work, but when you love it, it's worth it."

CDs are available at: hmv.ca, amazon.ca, indiepool.com, and lynziekent.com.

Kent will also bring a supply to the launch.
- Guelph Mercury

Guelph's Lynzie Kent launches her first solo CD at Manhattan's tomorrow evening

August 09, 2008
Joanne Shuttleworth
Mercury Staff


After a whirlwind year-and-a-half with the Juno-nominated band God Made Me Funky, lead singer Lynzie Kent is finding her own voice in her first solo CD, "Find the Words."

She's launching the CD at Manhattan's, at 951 Gordon St., tomorrow night and at the Smiling Buddha in Toronto Tuesday evening.

It's a project she started about three years ago, before auditioning to be lead singer for God Made Me Funky. Winning the coveted lead singer spot with the band in 2007 has taken her on tour across Canada and into the recording studio, which consequently pushed her solo album to the back burner.

Until now.

"I wrote, recorded and produced the CD in my spare time," said the Guelph native in a phone interview from Toronto, where she also holds down a part-time office job. "This year has been about juggling time and staying focussed."

God Made Me Funky plays a genre of music it calls nu-funk -- a mix of funk, blues, hip-hop and pop. It's high-energy, danceable music that draws out the performer in Kent, who trained in the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts's triple threat college program -- acting, singing and dancing.

"God Made Me Funky is a party band -- they really rock," Kent said. "With the band, I take on a character on stage and it's totally fun.

"The solo album is really about me as an individual. These songs come from the heart."

This CD is more adult-contemporary, although Kent herself hears "cross-over country" in the 11 songs she wrote.

"I never intended to sound country, but I love Sheryl Crowe and the Dixie Chicks. This CD is closer to what I grew up with and artistically, it's gratifying," she said.

The songs are about first love, lost love, empowerment and new-found independence.

The touching "Daddy" made her father's eyes well up the first time she sang it to him. Her parents, Bill and Janine Kent, are both musicians with the decades-old cover band Double Exposure and Bill helped his daughter with the lyrics and the musical arrangements on the CD.

"I wrote a song for my father but I couldn't play it for him for a long time -- not until his 70th birthday. So this is really sweet, very touching," said Bill Kent, who is also helping with promotion and booking solo gigs for Lynzie around God Made Me Funky's touring dates.

"New Red Shoes" is about being strong and standing up against bullies and abusers.

"I think (the songs) are a good depiction of a young singer-songwriter," the 23-year-old said. "I called it "Find the Words," because that's what I'm doing -- figuring out who I am."

The band embarks on a 21-gig national tour in September, and then on to the U.S. or U.K. in October with plans to record a new CD next spring.

Kent says she can do it all -- tour with GMMF, promote her solo CD and continue to write new songs. If something has to go, she hopes it's the part-time job, "but I need that too, right now," she said, adding the music business is not always lucrative.

Right now her path includes long hours and hard work.

"I don't party," she said. "I drink tea, get eight hours of sleep, and keep on top of things with a to-do list. It's hard work, but when you love it, it's worth it."

CDs are available at: hmv.ca, amazon.ca, indiepool.com, and lynziekent.com.

Kent will also bring a supply to the launch.
- Guelph Mercury

You may know Guelph native Lynzie Kent soon after her Juno Award nomination

April 01, 2008
Rob O'Flanagan

God may have had a hand in making Lynzie Kent a funky vocalist, but it was her parents who gave her the encouragement she needed to pursue a music career and land a lead singing role with God Made Me Funky.

The popular Toronto-based R&B/hip-hop band, known for exuberant live performances, has been nominated for a Juno Award, and will play a Guelph gig tonight at Vinyl nightclub before heading to Calgary to prepare for the April 6 awards ceremony.

Kent's Guelph upbringing was a musical immersion, and a music career seemed like a natural evolution. Her parents, Bill and Janine Kent, are both musicians.

"They had a band and I basically grew up singing in the band," the 22-year-old said. "I was always at their gigs when I was a kid. They had such a strong love for music, so they always supported my love for performing. My parents loved music so much that they nurtured that love for music in me."

The elder Kents' band, Double Exposure, has been playing for about 25 years. Lynzie's parents broke into the music business back in the early '80s, when they were selected to be part of the international performing group Up With People. A couple of years later, while attending the University of Guelph, the couple formed a band and performed on campus, at casinos and resorts. Lynzie was their first child.

"In the summers we would play at the resorts up north and live up there," Bill Kent said. "Lynzie would be around the music all the time and see us performing. And occasionally she would bug us to let her get on stage with us. That is where she got started."

God Made Me Funky has been around since Kent was about 10 years old, forming in 1996. She is the newest member of the nine-member group, having joined just over a year ago after an audition process.

The band recently released its third album, "Enter the Beat," which is saturated with Kent's soulful voice. It was the band's second album "We Can All Be Free" that snagged the Juno nomination for R&B Soul Recording of the Year. The band describes its music as "NuFunk."

"I'm just trying to stay focused and not get overwhelmed," Lynzie Kent said.

The band's live performances are what sets it apart from other bands, she said.

Bill Kent said his daughter displayed a singing and performing talent from a young age and was encouraged to develop it. A graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes High School, she took voice and dance lessons from a young age.

"She's young, so you have got to go for it and see where it lands," he said. "You have to encourage your kids to find something they love and then try to get work in it."

Bill Kent may be the biggest fan of God Made Me Funky.

"My wife says I am living vicariously through her," he said.
- Guelph Mercury

You may know Guelph native Lynzie Kent soon after her Juno Award nomination

April 01, 2008
Rob O'Flanagan

God may have had a hand in making Lynzie Kent a funky vocalist, but it was her parents who gave her the encouragement she needed to pursue a music career and land a lead singing role with God Made Me Funky.

The popular Toronto-based R&B/hip-hop band, known for exuberant live performances, has been nominated for a Juno Award, and will play a Guelph gig tonight at Vinyl nightclub before heading to Calgary to prepare for the April 6 awards ceremony.

Kent's Guelph upbringing was a musical immersion, and a music career seemed like a natural evolution. Her parents, Bill and Janine Kent, are both musicians.

"They had a band and I basically grew up singing in the band," the 22-year-old said. "I was always at their gigs when I was a kid. They had such a strong love for music, so they always supported my love for performing. My parents loved music so much that they nurtured that love for music in me."

The elder Kents' band, Double Exposure, has been playing for about 25 years. Lynzie's parents broke into the music business back in the early '80s, when they were selected to be part of the international performing group Up With People. A couple of years later, while attending the University of Guelph, the couple formed a band and performed on campus, at casinos and resorts. Lynzie was their first child.

"In the summers we would play at the resorts up north and live up there," Bill Kent said. "Lynzie would be around the music all the time and see us performing. And occasionally she would bug us to let her get on stage with us. That is where she got started."

God Made Me Funky has been around since Kent was about 10 years old, forming in 1996. She is the newest member of the nine-member group, having joined just over a year ago after an audition process.

The band recently released its third album, "Enter the Beat," which is saturated with Kent's soulful voice. It was the band's second album "We Can All Be Free" that snagged the Juno nomination for R&B Soul Recording of the Year. The band describes its music as "NuFunk."

"I'm just trying to stay focused and not get overwhelmed," Lynzie Kent said.

The band's live performances are what sets it apart from other bands, she said.

Bill Kent said his daughter displayed a singing and performing talent from a young age and was encouraged to develop it. A graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes High School, she took voice and dance lessons from a young age.

"She's young, so you have got to go for it and see where it lands," he said. "You have to encourage your kids to find something they love and then try to get work in it."

Bill Kent may be the biggest fan of God Made Me Funky.

"My wife says I am living vicariously through her," he said.
- Guelph Mercury

Posted by Mike's Bloggity Blog at 19.8.08

Sometimes when I'm really bored, poor or sober I like to go for runs. Correction: I don't like to go for runs, but I have two legs and a heartbeat so I feel like I should do something with them. Because I have the attention span of a fruit fly, I always need music to listen to. It has to be up-tempo and and not be The New kids on the Block. Most of the time it is either Blake Lewis (don't knock until you try it) or God Made Me Funky. They both make me want to run. Soon that run turns into a light jog which eventually turns into me calling a friend and asking them to pick me up and drive me home.

Anyway, stick with me, I do have a point. One of the lead singers of God Made Me Funky is a very lovely lady by the name of Lynzie Kent. Astute readers will remember that I met her back in April at the Junos. While wasting a sunny day inside, I discovered that she has just released her first debut CD and I wanted you to have a listen. It is quite a break from the GMMF stuff that she usually does but her first song "New Red Shoes" was on heavy rotation at my office this week. Mostly cause I take pride in telling people how successful my friends are. And to prove that she is a nice Canadian you can actually go to her website and listen to three free songs. My favorite by far is the New Red Shoes. You can also pick up the CD here and here. Check her out and tell me you don't love every second of it! - Mike's Bloggity Blog

Posted by Mike's Bloggity Blog at 19.8.08

Sometimes when I'm really bored, poor or sober I like to go for runs. Correction: I don't like to go for runs, but I have two legs and a heartbeat so I feel like I should do something with them. Because I have the attention span of a fruit fly, I always need music to listen to. It has to be up-tempo and and not be The New kids on the Block. Most of the time it is either Blake Lewis (don't knock until you try it) or God Made Me Funky. They both make me want to run. Soon that run turns into a light jog which eventually turns into me calling a friend and asking them to pick me up and drive me home.

Anyway, stick with me, I do have a point. One of the lead singers of God Made Me Funky is a very lovely lady by the name of Lynzie Kent. Astute readers will remember that I met her back in April at the Junos. While wasting a sunny day inside, I discovered that she has just released her first debut CD and I wanted you to have a listen. It is quite a break from the GMMF stuff that she usually does but her first song "New Red Shoes" was on heavy rotation at my office this week. Mostly cause I take pride in telling people how successful my friends are. And to prove that she is a nice Canadian you can actually go to her website and listen to three free songs. My favorite by far is the New Red Shoes. You can also pick up the CD here and here. Check her out and tell me you don't love every second of it! - Mike's Bloggity Blog