Review: Keonté Beals, Man Overboard

Pulls no punches

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In just four songs, North Preston’s Keonté Beals covers a lot of ground, and doesn’t pull any punches from the jump: The kick-off, “Man Down,” may feature the claps and laser synths of Top 40 pop, but the subject matter is much more serious. “How can I go through the motions once again?” Beals asks rhetorically, detailing the violence he’s witnessed in his young life. He manages to get in a couple love songs (“4-Ever,” “Love Overboard”) and one that ties his themes together, “WarZone.” The final track is an acoustic version of “Man Down,” all the pop tricks stripped away, just Beals and his piano, hitting harder than anything else on this promising EP. Beals is a beautiful singer with key skills to match, and he’s only just out of his teens. Catch Keonté Thursday, July 13, 2017, 3pm at Acadia Hall, 650 Sackville Drive and Saturday, July 15 at 1pm at the Black Cultural Centre, 10 Cherry Brook Road as part of the Halifax Jazz Festival.