Kele: The Boxer

"'Forget where you’ve been,' Kele sang as he started his set at Webster Hall on Wednesday night with 'Walk Tall,' the song that also starts his solo album, 'The Boxer' (Glassnote). 'Cut your ties to the past and wave it goodbye.' … 'The Boxer' commits to dance music. Kele played and programmed the album largely on his own, abetted by the Brooklyn producer XXXchange, assembling songs that draw on trance, techno and house. They’re pop songs, with as much melody as beat, full of refrains made for singalongs. The lyrics take up love, regret, starting over, self-doubt and self-help: 'You are stronger than you think' Kele sang as 'Rise' built from quietly plinking percussion to exultant trance chords. Kele’s voice adds some of Bono’s resonance to the postpunk yelp of the Cure’s Robert Smith, so Kele can straddle desperation and bravado in choruses like 'I could have given you everything you wanted'" (Jon Pareles, "In the Present and Still Dance-Ready," New York Times, 9/9/10).

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