Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Marks was born on November 6, 1950 in
Detroit, Michigan. He is of Yugoslavian
descent and graduated from Messiah College in 1971. His debut album, FOLLOW HIM, came out in
1982. ANOTHER FRIDAY NIGHT was his fifth
studio album (1989, Dayspring). It was
produced by Bubba Smith and executive produced by Lynn Keesecker. Kenny writes: “This recording is dedicated to
all of us who are discouraged and disappointed at times. May you find encouragement in this music”.
Steve Forbert wrote the album opener, ‘Running on Love’,
which features the harmonica prowess of Buddy Greene. It is a superb country-rock song of
testimony: “I was runnin’ on empty, I was runnin’ on fumes/I was runnin’ on
desperately/Neath a cold, dark moon/Now I’m runnin’ on tenderness/Thankin’ God
above/I was runnin’ on loneliness, now I’m runnin’ on love (2X)”. ‘Whisperin’ A Prayer’ is one of eight songs
co-written by Kenny and Phil Madeira.
This energetic rocker shows concern for one’s fellow man: “Is there
anything on your heart that’s tearing you apart?/If there is, you can open up
with me/I’m whisperin’ a prayer for you/I’m holdin’ out my hand to you/I wanna
know what I can do for you/I need to see a sign from you/I’m lookin’ for a
simple clue/I wanna know what I can do for you”.
‘Hope for a Broken Heart’ strikes a positive chord: “It’s
hard to laugh when you’re dancin’ to the beat of a broken heart.../Heartaches
come and heartaches go/And broken hearts still need to know/That though you may
be sinkin’ low/There is hope for a broken heart/Hope for a broken heart”. ‘I’ll Be a Friend to You’ is a gentle folk
ballad. The following words serve as the
chorus: “There’s so many ways I need to learn to love you/There’s so much I
want to do/There’s so many ways I need to show you/That I, I’ll be a friend to
you”.
‘Next Time You See Johnny’ is one of Marks’ terrific story
songs about Johnny and Jeannie. These
words come from Jeannie’s perspective: “Bedtime, in her room all alone/She
feels a presence of Someone unseen, Someone unknown/’Jesus’, she hears herself
start/’Let the fire of forgiveness burn bright in this broken down heart/And
the next time You see Johnny/Tell him it’s alright/There’s a fire of
forgiveness that’s always burning bright/There’s Someone he can pray to each
and every night’”. Less than ten years
after this song came out, Kenny himself went through a divorce. Kenny, Phil Madeira, Phil Naish, and George
Cocchini wrote ‘Nobody Else But Jesus’.
Mark Douthit plays sax on this all-out rocker of praise: “There’s no one,
nobody like Jesus/There’s no one, nobody like Him/He’s the One watchin’ over
me/He’s the One that I wanna be like/There’s nobody like Him/Just tell me who
can turn the water into wine/Nobody else but Jesus/Just give me someone who can
change this heart of mine/Nobody else but Jesus”.
‘Graduation Day’ is a sentimental ballad: “Graduation
day/There were tears in their eyes/Photographs and promises/They threw their
hats goodbye/Graduation day/And the sun was shinin’ bright/A piece of paper and
a heart full of dreams/It was the best day of their life/On their wedding
day/There were tears in their eyes/Words of love and promises/They threw the
rice and waved goodbye/It was the best day of their life”. ‘Threshold of Regret’ tackles domestic abuse:
“Every generation is watching from the wings/Listening to their mom and dad
saying careless things/That they don’t mean for them to hear/But they’ll
remember them for years”.
‘Somebody Loves You’ is a fantastic bluesy rock song. It exalts Christ: “There’s no cry that goes
unheard/There’s no tear that goes unseen/There’s no hurt He hasn’t felt
before/No one He can’t redeem/There’s no wall that He can’t scale/There’s no
mountain that He can’t move/There’s no place He hasn’t been before/No sorrow He
can’t soothe/Somebody loves you/You wonder who/Talkin’ bout Jesus/He cares for
you”. Last up is the classically
influenced ‘You Made a Difference For Me`.
It is a song of sincere gratitude: ``I see it passing right before my eyes/The
slow parade of people without You/And I see myself without You long ago/Where
would I be if not for You?/You made a difference for me/Far beyond what I could
see/If there’s one thing I know to be true/I’d be lost if it wasn’t for You”.
ANOTHER FRIDAY NIGHT is an excellent Christian rock album
that draws from a handful of other musical genres as well. Doug Dimmel, Kenny Greenberg, Randy Moore,
Eric Darken, and Phil Kristianson are just some of the players used. Chris Harris, Mark Heimermann, and Michael
Black provide strong backing vocals.
There is a good mix here of songs that deal with relationships between
humans and songs that explore the relationship between God and humanity. Youth and young adults who enjoy the music of
Rick Cua, Bryan Adams, Tom Cochrane, and Randy Stonehill should acquire this
album, which I`m rating a solid 100%.
Connect with Kenny Marks on Facebook or visit: www.kennymarks.com.