Kenny Lattimore - Never Too Busy: The Anthology (2018)

As part of its best-selling anthology series, SoulMusic Records presents its first reissue of music by an artist who first came to prominence in the late ‘80s. “Never Too Busy – The Anthology” is a solid retrospective on Kenny Lattimore, unquestionably one of the most consistent and successful mainstays in the arena of ‘new generation’ R&B and soul music that began taking root some two decades ago.

Primarily drawn from Kenny’s two Columbia albums and his 2001 Arista album, this sumptuous 2-CD set (produced by Donald Cleveland, who provided stellar mastering and who conceived the idea for the anthology, and SoulMusic Records’ founder David Nathan) also includes two of Kenny’s duets with (former spouse) Chanté Moore, as well as tracks from his sole 1989 album with the group Maniquin, some rare remixes on key hits (‘If I Lose My Woman’, ‘Days Like This’, ‘Just What It Takes’ and the 1996 US hit, ‘Never Too Busy’) as well as guest appearances on the soundtracks for “Love Jones” and “The Best Man” with smooth jazz guitarist Peter White; and a rare track (‘If You Could See You (Through My Eyes)’ from 1998 sessions with producer David Foster.

Washington DC-native Kenny Lattimore began his professional recording career with local group Maniquin in the late ‘80s, singing lead on a number of tracks on their self-titled Epic LP. Moving to New York, Kenny signed with Columbia Records where the powerhouse ballad ‘For You’ launched his career as a US chartmaker with the self-titled album that followed also contained achieving gold status.

Kenny’s critically-acclaimed follow up set, “From The Soul Of Man” (1998) included charted singles, ‘Days Like This’ and ‘If I Lose My Woman’ before he signed with Arista Records, cutting the album “Weekend” (a particular favourite among UK soul music buyers). Since his two successful albums with Chante Moore, Kenny has continued recording a further four albums and performing on a global basis.