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The Real Thing

by Kenny Wesley

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Receive the shrink-wrapped hard copy of Kenny Wesley's long-awaited full-length debut.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Real Thing via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
REAL THING (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) ©N. Lifschey/K. Wesley 2012. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1 When ya gotta keep movin’ you got no time to look inside When ya gotta keep conquerin’ you’ve got no life to live ain’t right When you need to make everything look just like the make believe Then you’re just pretendin’ that you’re not alone Moments they don’t hang around ya know you blink and then they’re gone Pushin’ deep into the heap and you don’t see what’s goin’ on Spinnin in your phantom ride I know that ain’t no place no place to be HOOK What I feel I’m bright I’m breakin’ open What I got is the real thing Write it down in your bank book it don’t mean nothin’ What I got is the real thing Stuck inside there’s a storm that’s close to breakin’ What we’re leaving ain’t the real thing So I hook straight into the sound that keeps me kickin’ What I’ve got is this real thang VERSE 2 Everyday you’re workin’ you skip around at double time Got it on repeat, yeah, you start to buy it double blind Yeah, you’re trippin’ on everything, but it’s all just in your mind It’s all just in your mind… The bird it perches on your stoop and all you do is close the door You see the things I got to give and you just layin’ on the floor Spinnin’ in your phantom ride I know that ain’t no place no place to be There are options infinite, baby this I guarantee [HOOK] INSTRUMENTAL BREAK [HOOK] [HOOK] VAMP [BGVs: ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh; ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh] All I want, All I need is this real thang All I want, all I need is this real thang
2.
Feels Good 03:27
FEELS GOOD (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) ©N. Lifschey/K. Wesley 2012. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1/2 It feels so good I ain’t gon’ lie Momma won’t like it It feels so good just livin’ my life Not apologizing naw It’s my heart to blame, not my mind, aw naw It feels good It feels so good I ain’t gon’ try To make a big announcement, naw They keep on naggin’ me When I wanna just be free It’s my heart to blame, not my mind, aw naw It feels good B-SECTION 1 What you wanna say Don’t you let nobody get inside yo’ groove VERSE 3/4 It feels so good I ain’t gon’ lie Papa can’t take it It feels so good in this grind Ain’t gonna be stopping, naw It’s my heart to blame, not my mind, aw naw It feels good It feels so good I’m gon’ fly Straight into the floodlight, yeah You keep on my pushin’ me You’re settin’ all my shadows free I ain’t got no time fo’ games Got love on the brain, oh yeah It feels good B-SECTION 2 What you wanna say? What you wanna do? No one can rule you Got words to scream? Got plans? Got dreams? Got funky little inclinations… Don’t you let nobody take yo’ freedom It’s all about liberty, your autonomy So release your fears and fly… VAMP (Bg Vox:) It feels so good to me, it feels so good to me It feels so good to me, it feels good, yeah, yeah, yeah It feels so good to me, it feels so good to me It feels so good to me, it feels good, yeah, yeah, yeah [B-SECTION 2] (Bg Vox:) Yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah
3.
The Window 03:32
THE WINDOW (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) ©N. Lifschey 2011. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1 Tell me a secret, I know you feel it I know you wanna change your history Just so you can be Connected …to all the madness throughout the universal galaxies Take just a minute so you can listen To all the ghosts awaiting your release I know you know what I mean Just do it, take a moment, we can make the world so calm and free HOOK Look at my face Look at my eyes Look at the sun that will always rise Look at the years Look at the days Look out the window VERSE 2 Our past is empty evaporated Like a molten vapor of the sea But this ain't scarin’ me It's expected…with every second of every minute lies a vacancy Just share the secret, uncovers years of Of all the pain and scorn and misery That we don’t care to see Just do it, so take a moment, we can make the world so calm and free [HOOK] BRIDGE When I’m falling down When you’re falling down Just remember that the sun is always shinin’ on ya When you’re falling down When you’re falling down We’ll make the world go around… [BREAK/HOOK]
4.
Closer 03:56
CLOSER (N. Lifschey) ©N. Lifschey 2012. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1 Closer to the time it takes me forget and move on Closer to the fall got my face on the ground And it hurts me still, yeah I think about all the things that I needed The things I crave, yeah, they still escape me I think about breaking out but I’m tied up I need you closer to me HOOK ‘Cause one day I’m gonna break I’m gonna split right down the middle And one day You’ll need to be there… When I find myself in need VERSE 2 Closer to the day, smell your flowers one more time Oh, my eyes are wide open Closer to the hour, you’re the glue that holds my spine It keeps me straight and right (straight and right) I think about all the things that I’m missing It’s like a game I keep throwin’ just to lose I think about better days and I’m smilin’ I need me closer to you HOOK 2 ‘Cause one day I’m gonna break I’m gonna split right down the middle And one day You’ll need to be there (you’ll need to be there) When I find myself in need (find myself in need…) You’ll need to be there You’ll need to be there You’ll need to be there, ooh ooh (hum… oh, oh…) VERSE 3 I’m closer to the edge Time is whirlin’ in my head Oh, you’re smile it sends me over I’m further from the end Can’t keep ev’rything in step But I ain’t fallin’, fallin’, fallin’ yeah I think about all the times that I hold ya I feel you breathe and know that ev’rything is right (it’s, alright baby) Now I just need some of your consolation I need you closer tonight [HOOK 2] [HOOK 2]
5.
WOMAN (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) ©N. Lifschey/K. Wesley 2012. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1 Every time I start contemplatin’ About what you mean to me I get a rush; I can’t contain this passion burning deep inside And when you are around me girl I, I reminisce about the joy, the love, the light, The happiness… You’ve brought into my life You’re my mother, you’re my sister, you’re my girlfriend So careful with my fragile heart You are the grace and wisdom Shines through my darkest hour You give life to the nations Your energy is like the sunshine Warms me like the mornin’ dawn Girl, you’re a work of art HOOK Woman… inspiration Woman… you keep my feet on solid groud Woman… inspiration Woman… and I’ll never turn around Woman… resilient power VERSE 2 Light that envelops the earth like springtime’s warm embrace You create the pain the pleasure Flood to this empty place Give me something that I’ve been missing You’re sensitivity You are the blue behind my clouds it’s perfect chemistry You burn me up then build me higher And you never pull me down Irreplaceable…Yeah, you’ll always be around [HOOK] [HOOK]
6.
Tangled 04:05
TANGLED (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) ©N. Lifschey/K. Wesley 2012. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1 I’ll see you today like any other And we’ll smile just like we do We’ll laugh about life and share a drink with two “So tell me, what’s new with you?” And we talk about life, How the sun is shining bright on a perfect day Every word that we say has been said One million times in different ways You’ve got no clue what I’ve been holdin’ in It’s time that I share the news…. HOOK I wanna tangle with you Can I get tripped up in your web Yeah, let me tangle with you Let’s try… I wanna tangle with you Yeah baby, we could be in love forever Tangle with you, alright? VERSE 2 I’ve known you for years This much is certain We’re as close as friends can be If honestly means that we share ev’rything Well that makes a fool of me If we go on and on like we do Ev’rytime we meet it’ll never change Well I need to share everything now It’s time to say what’s true [HOOK] B-SECTION Tangle baby yeah Ooh ooh Tangle baby yeah Alright… VERSE I’ll see you today like any other And we’ll smile just like we do… [HOOK] HOOK 2 I wanna tangle with you I wanna trip up in your web Yeah, let me tangle with you Let’s try… I wanna tangle with you Yeah baby, we could be in love forever Tangle with you, alright, alright, alright, alright…
7.
SOPHISTICATED (D. Berry/N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) ©N. Lifschey 2012. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1 The way she walkin’ got me trippin’ on Every false hope I’m stumblin’ through She got style, but every killer knows The heels punch deeper when you’re dancin’ I gotta play this game right, but I fumble through Hours after hours thinkin’ of you But I’m lost and I just can’t do Another hundred-yard dash can’t run that fast HOOK But somehow, I gotta see this through Sophisticated girl, she’s the bane of my truth Somehow, I gotta see this through Sophisticated girl like you, like you VERSE 2 Hey now, I feel obliged to say I’ve been pushing for the sugar, but the salt came I got no complaints, ‘cause I hitched the chain A wreckin’ ball pullin for ya ev’ryday Shame on you girl, that’s the truth A five-letter word for the things you don’t do Shame of you girl, still I’m the fool Flyin’ to the flame like the other men too B-SECTION Woo ooh ooh Still they tell me I should really take the reins, yea Man up; control my wicked lady Domesticate her ways and put her in the right place But, they don’t really know my baby [HOOK] So sophisticated Yeah girl, I know ‘bout you Chill me to my bones, yeah, I can’t lie your (so sophisticated) So sophisticated Yeah girl, I know ‘bout you Chill me to my bones, yeah, I can’t lie your (so sophisticated) [B-SECTION] [HOOK] [HOOK]
8.
9.
Missin' You 03:33
MISSIN’ YOU (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) ©N. Lifschey/K. Wesley 2012. All Rights Reserved. HOOK I’m missin’ you baby Just call me, baby I’ll be right there by noon I’m missin’ you baby Don’t worry, honey I’ll take good care of you VERSE 1 Got me jumpin’ inside how can this be Early morn’… I’ve got you on my mind You came in my life Like a leaf into the autumn air Both our hearts intertwined Now I wait for the time When your shadow covers mine [HOOK] VERSE 2 I’m standing in this empty place It sighs for you…A blissful sweet rendezvous I hear the knocks I answer and there’s no one there Just my deep solitude Is it real or my dream That you’ve flown away from me? [HOOK] BRIDGE Time can capture visions of the past And has it way to kind of always make them last So if I can grasp the hope of love before it fades… It will not be erased Babe, come fill this space [HOOK]
10.
So Sublime 03:14
SO SUBLIME (N. Lifschey) ©N. Lifschey 2012. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1 So sublime, yeah I’m flyin’ right beside your shadow So sublime, yeah I’m floatin’ high above the people I’m pushing through the clutter and I’m seein’ everything Like I never saw before The skies turning colors And I feel every flutter In my blood and I want more So sublime I don’t need to be with any other HOOK Whoa, whoa Nothing you can say or do can make you fall from grace ‘Cause every day I spend beside you takes me to a sweeter place So sublime, you’re so sublime to me VERSE 2 So sublime that I can’t imagine days without you With love so fine my addiction needs to feed What can I do? Do you ever wonder why I kick and scream and shudder If I cannot get my dose? It’s ‘cause your words are drugs Your hands pull me closer You’re the thing that I need most With love so high I don’t need to be with any other You know it (you know it baby) [HOOK] BRIDGE This is like a recipe for madness and gold I’ll take what it’s given me it’s bonded to my soul Hey, hey, hey So sublime you’re so sublime to me So sublime you’re so sublime to me So sublime you’re so sublime to me So sublime you’re so sublime to me
11.
WON’T LET IT GO (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) ©N. Lifschey/K. Wesley 2012. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1 Another step, another cry, another hilltop scattered And the sun it smiles the same Another hope, another song, another mountain higher And the sun it smiles the same HOOK I won't let it go The world surrounds me There's so much to say In so many ways I won't let it go The world is colliding There's (just) so much to say Let's put it all away VERSE 2 The time is then, the time is now, yeah we stay ever-reaching And the sun it smiles the same The lilt of rain, the seething pain, a fallen cinder glowing And the sun it smiles the same VAMP Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh…/Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh HOOK VAMP
12.
TAFFY (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) ©N. Lifschey/K. Wesley 2012. All Rights Reserved. VERSE 1 There’s something I’ve been feelin’ Man I gotta say Just somethin’ gnawin’ at me it won’t go away Been flowing in the crowd, yeah It ain’t feelin’ right Can’t breathe with all this clatter chewin’ on my mind The sheen of the suicide screen Is shakin’ my memory It’s drippin’ into my skin and jammin’ up my dream Take all of your toxic toys They tuck you into the void Can’t spend another minute watchin’ plastic taffy noise HOOK If this is the way, if this is the game Then I don’t want in If this is the play I don’t want no part Lemme say it again No, I don’t want in No longer can I spend my nights stuck to a wall No pullin’ all my aspirations off the floor Collectin’ a pocket of grit it cuts me to my veins I just want freedom I don’t wanna stay the same Take all of your glowin’ toys They tuck you into the void Can’t spend another minute talkin’ – plastic taffy noise [HOOK] RAP Brothas loosin’ sync Sistas outta step Find your soul cat Find that groove Don’t let your light, your music, your laughter… be in vain B-SECTION Take all of your toxic toys They tuck you into the void Can’t spend another second stuck It’s all plastic taffy noise [HOOK] VAMP Somethin’ gnawin’ it ain’t feelin’ right Somethin’ gnawin’ at me just ain’t feelin’ right Somethin’ gnawin’ it ain’t feelin’ right Somethin’ gnawin’ at me just ain’t feelin’ right Somethin’ gnawin’ it ain’t feelin’ right Somethin’ gnawin’ at me it ain’t feelin’ right

about

Kenny's debut, full-length album, The Real Thing, basking in a warm reception from both pop and soul worlds, was recently featured on Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” with the tune "Won't Let It Go" and has been heralded as a progressive, groundbreaking effort. Wesley and his co-writer/producer Noah Lifschey have managed to successfully fuse the grit and funk of the 70s with a contemporary, progressive aesthetic. Bravo!

credits

released May 15, 2013

THE REAL THING (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley) #
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)
Beatboxing, Vocal Percussion: Butterscotch
BGVs: Lai-Si Fern

FEELS GOOD (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley)
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)
Trumpet, Trombone: Mitch Manker
BGVs: Lai-Si Fern

THE WINDOW (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley)*
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)

CLOSER (N. Lifschey)
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)

WOMAN (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley)
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)
Upright Bass: Dan Lutz
Obligato, Ad-Libs, BGVs: Wayna

TANGLED (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley)
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)

SOPHISTICATED (D. Berry/N. Lifschey/K. Wesley)
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)

MISSIN' YOU - INTRO (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley)**
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)

MISSIN' YOU (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley)
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)
Guitar: Chris Bruce

SO SUBLIME (N. Lifschey)
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)
Hammond B3: Jeff Babko
Bass: Patrick Morgan
Trumpet, Trombone: Mitch Manker

WONT LET IT GO (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley)**
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)

TAFFY (N. Lifschey/K. Wesley)
Ring Mountain Music (BMI)/Generous Aardvark Music (ASCAP)/Es Musica Real (ASCAP)
Live Scratching: Kid Koala
Guitar Solo: Chris Bruce


All songs produced, recorded and mixed by Noah Lifschey at Generous Aardvark, Santa Monica, CA

Kenny Wesley: Lead Vocals, BGVs, Arranging, Vocal Arranging

Noah Lifschey: Guitar, Bass, Drums, Programming, Percussion, Keyboards, BGVs, Arranging, Vocal Arranging

*Vocals Recorded by Poncho French at The French School, Silver Spring, MD

**Vocals Recorded by Brian "Gizzmo" Freeland at District Entertainment Studios, Alexandria, VA (#Vocals Partially Recorded by "Gizzmo")

Mastering: Gavin Lurssen at Lurssen Mastering, Hollywood, CA
Photography: Sunchasemedia.com
Styling: Tramaine Lavin
Hair: Namon Mitchell
Art Direction & Graphic Design: Todd Googins
Sketch Art: Sheen

Executive Producers: Noah Lifschey, Kenny Wesley

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Kenny Wesley Washington, D.C.

Some call him a paradox: the soulful nerd with the a crazy voice. His name is Kenny Wesley. With an acclaimed EP, numerous collaborations, features and accolades - including honors from the Quincy Jones-Curated Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition - his music has become a staple in films and on TV programs like FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance". ... more

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