Kent Odessa

Wake up, shufflers! Just because it’s cold and frigid outside (in most parts) doesn’t mean you have to be a pile indoors! I’m purposely posting this new track that I found to hopefully get you out of bed and warm you up to the point of moving your feet, hips, and arms… I think it’s called dancing?

Detroit’s Kent Odessa has released his latest single, “Shot Down The Pavement,” and I can safely say that I’m hooked. Literally from the first round of beats and bassline, plus the handclaps, I could not resist. It really doesn’t take much more than that to get me going but then in comes the vocals — echoed and easy to follow. The perfect dance jam.

Let’s not leave out the drawn out ambient synth that accompanies the rest of the song. The twinkling keyboards also add a gorgeous touch. “Shot Down The Pavement” is taken from Kent’s debut full length album, Silverdome. If you’re keen on this single then I suggest picking up his recently released album. It’s a great way to stay warm this season! - Indie Shuffle

Kent Odessa is a singer-songwriter with a bit of a twist, as there are no (acoustic) guitars here, just a lot of synths, loops & beats. Does that make someone less of a singer-songwriter? I guess not and who cares? It's about the music and as far as i can tell, Kent Odessa is doing a good job when it comes to making cool songs. Shot Down On The Pavement is a great track to get to know him and definately not the only one he's released this year. Think 80s popmusic along the lines of Prince and Michael Jackson, the 80s U2, Duran Duran. But without any direct comparison with these names, there are just links that are formed in my misty, barely awoken brain.

Check out his website for more cool music or just enjoy this fine recently released single of his debut album "Silverdome", your choice. - Plug In Baby blog

We don’t usually post much in the way of new music (and no worries, no plans to change that) but we might make an exception every now and then if people write us real nicely and we like the tune. As is the case with Kent Odessa’s funky, rollicking ‘Shot Down on the Pavement’ from his self-produced debut ‘Silverdome’, so have a listen if you like. - One Week/One Band blog

Continuing with the theme of upbeat pop ditties to start off your week, I present to you Detroit’s Kent Odessa and his latest single, “Shot Down on the Pavement.” An 80s disco vibe with a complex, semi-dark, yet rollicking rhythm, “Shot Down on the Pavement” will have you dancing in your work chair for hours (however you do that; we all have our ways). Just don’t forget to leave when your day is over. - Knox Road blog

Continuing with the theme of upbeat pop ditties to start off your week, I present to you Detroit’s Kent Odessa and his latest single, “Shot Down on the Pavement.” An 80s disco vibe with a complex, semi-dark, yet rollicking rhythm, “Shot Down on the Pavement” will have you dancing in your work chair for hours (however you do that; we all have our ways). Just don’t forget to leave when your day is over. - Knox Road blog

29. Getaway - Kent Odessa
Sometimes Tyson finds crap I never come across in my blogosphere searches. This Kent Odessa guy is one of them. This song makes me super happy. I'm putting into a pocket for a springtime drive to the Hamptons. - Bottomless Lakes blog

Formerly at the center of Peephole, Kent Odessa is one of the dozen or so people that I'm hoping will be bringing the phenomenon-typically-known-as-chillwave back around the bend to something a bit more uptempo, after a few years of being the year round summer whatever (I'm not complaining, though). Whatever the case, whether moving back to Detroit played any part in it or not, the lead single for his upcoming solo-debut is an energetic soul anthem, with a tremendous low-key groove and synth accents. - Get Off the Coast

Since Isaac Babel’s The Odessa Tales, the Ukrainian port town has been a place of lore in Russian culture. As any important city on the sea, Odessa is a vibrant mix of vulgarity and prestige. That and Jews. It’s also a Caribou song, so you know it’s important.

Maybe it’s just direct association on my part, but Brooklynite Kent Odessa (and by God I hope that is his birth name) is able to really bring out some Black Sea aesthetics on his recent track “Getaway.” The song is warm, but not quite hot enough to be tropical. Like the Black Sea, it doesn’t flow enough (to its advantage) to be an ocean, rather it is a perfectly contained inland entity. Either way, Odessa’s chillwave jam makes me want to buy a Zhiguli and drive it to Sochi in the winter and just dig my feet into the cool sand.

Odessa is also the man behind the lo-fi pop group Peephole. It seems he’s shed the rock instrumentation but not his attuned pop-sensibilities in switching to a different moniker. For more relaxed grooves from Odessa, check out his SoundCloud. - LoversMadeMen

Since Isaac Babel’s The Odessa Tales, the Ukrainian port town has been a place of lore in Russian culture. As any important city on the sea, Odessa is a vibrant mix of vulgarity and prestige. That and Jews. It’s also a Caribou song, so you know it’s important.

Maybe it’s just direct association on my part, but Brooklynite Kent Odessa (and by God I hope that is his birth name) is able to really bring out some Black Sea aesthetics on his recent track “Getaway.” The song is warm, but not quite hot enough to be tropical. Like the Black Sea, it doesn’t flow enough (to its advantage) to be an ocean, rather it is a perfectly contained inland entity. Either way, Odessa’s chillwave jam makes me want to buy a Zhiguli and drive it to Sochi in the winter and just dig my feet into the cool sand.

Odessa is also the man behind the lo-fi pop group Peephole. It seems he’s shed the rock instrumentation but not his attuned pop-sensibilities in switching to a different moniker. For more relaxed grooves from Odessa, check out his SoundCloud. - LoversMadeMen

Full disclosure: this indie artist is my cousin Kent. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t blast this hip-strutting take on Madonna’s “Holiday” constantly this summer. - Maisonneuve Magazine

I’m always down to listen to new things, even from artists I’ve never heard before. In fact that’s sort of why I got into writing for a music blog in the first place. So when I started getting track-by-track submissions from Kent Odessa, I would casually check out a song here or there, and then pass onto something else. Not because I didn’t like it, but because I really had no idea how to package a post about him. I mean, who was this guy? Before long I had four or five different random records from Kent sitting in my iTunes, and at that point decided it was time to start dialoguing with him. After a few email exchanges he informed me that these one-off songs he’d been sending weren’t loner tracks at all, but rather parts a full-length album. “Send me the whole album then”, I said. He did, and this is the story of Kent Odessa and Silverdome.

Kent Odessa is a one-man band from the Detroit suburbs. After flirting with some self-released EP’s under the alias Peephole, he decided to release Silverdome, his debut LP. Odessa performed nearly all of the instruments you hear on the album’s 10 tracks. As if that weren’t enough he’s also responsible for the lead and most of the “more female sounding” background vocals. Oh, of course he co-produced and co-mixed the album along with Hays Holladay of Bluebrain, so add those credits to the back jacket cover as well. How amazing is this ability? A few years ago Justin Vernon locked himself in a Wisconsin cabin to write and self-perform/record his own music, and now he’s a Grammy winner. I’m not saying these stories are entirely comparable, but some similarities exist.

Should we talk about how it sounds? This is funk, new wave, and progressive electronic music all in one package. We’ve heard acts like MGMT, and prior to them Electric Six, take the same nostalgic, psychedelic approach with their sound. This is music made to be heard in the now, but through certain elements it pays tribute to times past. Odessa cites that, “it’s in the tradition of Prince and Michael Jackson, with a little bit of Ariel Pink thrown in.” Below you’ll find a few choice tracks off Silverdome that I particularly enjoy. You can stream others on Kent’s SoundCloud or just buy the entire album from iTunes. - Pigeons and Planes

Kent Odessa describes his music as a mix of Sade, George Michael and Prince, but the Detroit Echo Boomer definitely has more of his own spirit floating skyward. Far more removed than his influences suggest, his music is less accessible and more ambitious in the instrumental department. This is 21st century indie R ‘n’ B, not ’80s hit-making pop music. His claim to Prince is fair enough – his soul styled R ‘n’ B is similarly eclectic and flows through an electronic discourse that displays his skills as a producer as well as a talented vocalist. There’s also a nod to Toro Y Moi, and the post-Motown sound that is flooding through into indie R ‘n’ B.

Kent Odessa is currently working on his debut album ‘Silverdome’ and has placed a couple of tracks, ‘Cruise N’ Kidman’ and ‘Bo Jackson’, up on his Soundcloud page for free streaming. Below you can listen and download his new single ‘Getaway’.
- Einstein Music Journal

A little while back I introduced Peephole, who tore it up opening for Young Galaxy in Brooklyn. Since then, he’s dropped the Peephole name in favor of his birth title, Kent Odessa, which I can only assume is due to its major badass-ness on par with Billy Ocean.

Moving from Brooklyn back to his hometown of Detroit, Odessa has just wrapped up a full-length album titled Silverdome. So far I’ve only heard the first single “Getaway” which eschews the Brooklyn-influenced (again, assuming) power pop sound in favor of something a little more soulful. A little.. dare we say, sexier?

Channeling the Motown roots of Detroit, “Getaway” comes off smoother than previous efforts with the slightest hints of nods to the past. This is some good indie-pop for an evening drive or a late-night hookup. - Electric Panda Music Blog

A little while back I introduced Peephole, who tore it up opening for Young Galaxy in Brooklyn. Since then, he’s dropped the Peephole name in favor of his birth title, Kent Odessa, which I can only assume is due to its major badass-ness on par with Billy Ocean.

Moving from Brooklyn back to his hometown of Detroit, Odessa has just wrapped up a full-length album titled Silverdome. So far I’ve only heard the first single “Getaway” which eschews the Brooklyn-influenced (again, assuming) power pop sound in favor of something a little more soulful. A little.. dare we say, sexier?

Channeling the Motown roots of Detroit, “Getaway” comes off smoother than previous efforts with the slightest hints of nods to the past. This is some good indie-pop for an evening drive or a late-night hookup. - Electric Panda Music Blog