Press for Sensation Blues
Inquiries? Email bkelly@nb.today

Interview: Sensation Blues gets to the heart of rock and roll - WXPN | Vinyl At Heart, by John Vettese, 88.5 WXPN FM, November 2024

"When a young person finds their purpose, and that purpose is music, it can be a magical thing. There’s so much it can teach about the world; there’s so much it can teach about oneself. Whether it’s the deep dives fandom sends us on, exploring the history of an artist or a scene, or it’s the way lyrics and melodies speak to our inner truths, making us make sense of our emotions, music can be an enriching force on life that most of us experience in one way or another.

For McKinley Robinson, the protagonist in Bennett Kelly’s debut novel Sensation Blues, a newfound love of music — specifically his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi’s chief export, blues music — takes him from being a teenager adrift, living in his overachieving older brother’s shadow, to studying guitar in a cemetery in the middle of the night, obsessively listening to Son House and Muddy Waters, busking on street corners to save for a guitar amp, cutting class to dip his toes in the Memphis scene. Released this fall, the novel follows McKinley’s journey of music-discovery and self-discovery in the birthplace of the blues.

A journalist based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Kelly’s vivid prose places us solidly in McKinley’s world, one where realizing his talent becomes his everything, where parents just don’t understand (but one supportive uncle does), and where music made three-quarters of a century before he was born might not provide all the answers, but that’s okay when the questions they’re igniting in his head are this exciting. I caught up with Kelly over email to talk about the book; read our conversation below, and hear more this Saturday, November 16th from 2 to 5 p.m., when he appears at Repo Records at 506 South Street for a book signing event." - John Vettese. Read the interview here

Review: Blending Fiction with Blues History, Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation - December 2024

"Bennett Kelly is an award-winning music journalist from New Jersey who has written a novel that weaves the story of a fictional contemporary Clarksdale, Mississippi family, with the rich tapestry of the giants of the blues.

Kelly creates a story that would hold the interest of both casual observers of the genre as well as those well-versed in it. Without delving too deeply into the story, the protagonist, McKinley Robinson, a 16-year-old high school junior, is just separated from his older brother and best friend Paul, who has left to play football at Rutgers University (the New Jersey connection.) An overachiever, Paul excels in sports, the arts, and the classroom, and his parents expect McKinley to do the same. With that first name, one that any person with knowledge of the blues would recognize, belongs to the most famous bluesman of all, Muddy Waters, his destiny is in music. With the help of his Uncle Ira, a musician by trade, the adventure begins. 

Bennett tells a story of both real and fictional characters and places that take place over the next year. He does so in an interesting and vibrant manner that draws the reader in, making the blues world, past and present come alive. It’s a real-life rollercoaster ride for Mac and his family, and definitely held my interest. For those with limited knowledge of this music, there is a wealth of information to be gleaned, set in a most interesting story. For those of us who have a historical background, it’s fun picking out the facts from the fiction, while enjoying this year-long trip.

I highly recommend you pick up a copy, regardless of your background, and enjoy this timeless story." - Tom Baldino

Review: BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable NJ Music 11/11/24 - Lazlo

"I don't know if I've written about a book since I had to do book reports back in school. Don't get me wrong, I read books, though with limited time to do so it takes me a month or two to finish a book. And most of the books I read are non-fiction.

But when local music journalist Bennett Kelly sent me his debut novel, "Sensation Blues," I was intrigued.

Many first novels are based on one's life, but as Bennett is from New Jersey, and this book is set in the contemporary Mississippi Delta, I doubt it is directly autobiographical, though he does say, "I set out to write a blues novel to honor the blues and the mythological figures that excited me as a kid."

He does that quite well, via a coming of age story of a teenager whose older brother just left for college, leaving the younger teen trying to figure out who he is without his older brother around. His uncle starts teaching him blues guitar and about the blues, and he takes to it and becomes obsessed with it.

It took a dozen or so pages for me to get into this book (maybe because I don't read a lot of fiction), but once I did I found the characters and story engrossing. By the time it got to the end, I was thoroughly entertained, and wanted the story to continue. If that is not a ringing endorsement for checking this book out, then I don't know what you need." - Lazlo