 "A Strong New Voice...and There's a Bonus Track" | 2009-12-29 |
| - Reviewed By Steve Vrana from Aurora, NE |
This is another artist I encountered while listening to Pandora.com. [I have my personal station set up for Leo Kottke.] In fact, my last two guitar player purchases (Trace Bundy was the other) came about as a direct result of Pandora.com.
After having listened through this a few times time, it's easy to see some of King's influences: Preston Reed ("Kewpie Station," "Carmine Street"), John Fahey ("The Exhibition," "Fortuna"), and Leo Kottke ("Happy As a Dead Pig in the Sunshine"). But rather than be a mere clone, she assimilates these different styles and makes them her own.
There are occasional missteps. For instance, "Steamed Juicy Little Bun" and the title track tend to be overly repetitive--song fragments that don't really go anywhere. But "Night After Sidewalk" has a subtle beauty to it, and "Close Your Eyes & You'll Burst Into Flames" slowly builds until the midpoint of the song where it explodes into a cascade of blistering fretwork. Also, note there is a bonus track. The final track, "Fortuna," actually ends at 6:16. At the 7:13 mark, King begins playing a simple melody and later adds wordless vocals. After the final note, she concludes with a spoken "yeah, whatever," clearly indicating that this is not yet a finished song. It's a pleasant if not memorable piece.
While this may not be King's crowning achievement (as some reviewers have claimed), it certainly bears repeated listening. This is a gifted guitarist looking for her voice. And to my ears, she's on the right track. RECOMMENDED [Running Time - 38:03] |
| |
 "Storytelling, guitar thumps, and Kaki King" | 2008-11-16 |
| - Reviewed By Biblibio |
Reading the other reviews here show that there are quite a few people out there who don't quite like Kaki King's playing or music. One reviewer mentioned lack of "substance". Now I'll add my two cents.
I really liked this album. In fact, I think I love it. See, I'm a big music fan and I spend all day listening to music of sorts. CDs, for me, usually comprise of tracks not as a whole. Maybe that's the problem, but here came a CD that gave me a wide variety of interesting solo-guitar music, pretty sounds, exciting beats, and an all-in-all cool listen.
These songs, for me at least, told stories through music. Seriously. Listen to the incredibly beautiful "Night After Sidewalk". It will bring to mind a number of vivid and intriguing images that together will tell a story. Other songs, like "Carmine St." will do something similar, in that the listener feels (again, this listener at least) like they're walking along a road and someone's telling this story. Other songs are just plain cool, even if their story is a little more random ("Kewpie Station" is less vivid than others, but starts out the CD with a pretty rocking song).
"Everybody Loves You" [CD] is pretty great. With beautifully played songs that perhaps lack a central theme and are full of technical aplomb, the CD tells small individual stories in the form of songs. It's got variety, beauty, style, and pure technical ability. It's fun to listen to, either as background music or as something to be taken in deeply. It may not be for people looking for something particularly exciting in terms of hard rock or for those looking for calming background music (some tracks fit the bill, others less so). It will, however, be good for music lovers in search of a good CD played nicely and providing listeners with varied and special music. |
| |
 "Great effort, but lacking in musical substance" | 2008-07-26 |
| - Reviewed By T. Crawford from USA |
I've posted comments elsewhere on this series of reviews. It seems the defenders of Ms. King's cd are a little defensive, as are the ones who didn't care for her music. I have to admit, I was excited by the idea that a new acoustic monster had put a cd out. I listened to the samples in the store, and was "wow'ed" by her varied and aggressive style of guitar playing. The employee had pointed her cd out to me, and he too, made reference to M. Hedges guitar style. Like a herd of lemmings, I walked out of the store with the cd in hand, looking forward to listening through it.
I got home and (I have to say) tried to listen straight through, but was put off by the lack of a feeling that K. King's music was thought through--even as I made an effort to follow some kind of compositional form. Yes, there was a surprise guitar tap here, an unexpected harmonic there; however, I couldn't sit through the first two selections. Her playing strikes me, as it seems to do several other reviewers here, as a kind of unprepared, "let's see what sounds we can make with the guitar", and lacking in any musical form--AABA, for example, with a bridge in there somewhere.
I found myself trying to put structure to what seemed to be noodling and rambling through each recorded track. Unfortunately, the cd ended up going straight to the used bin. When one has to work to put structure and melodic form to someone else's music, then either the music is lacking, or it requires further listening attempts. I'm sorry to say I didn't have the patience to sit through more than a cursory sampling beyond the first two tracks, and none of the entries were outstanding in any shape.
Sure, if your idea of music is ting, pop, strum and bang, this might be the cd for you. I have to wonder, however, how many of the angry reviewers who give but one star are, like me, slightly angry that someone with a few chops, but no sense of music, (and certainly not an advanced sense of melody), can gain such wide exposure so quickly.
Finally, it does seem that the reviewers, both pro and against Ms. King's guitar playing, are passionate about their opinions. If the negative reviews do not dissuade, then by all means spend your hard earned money on this disc. Maybe you will find the lack of musical form passable--especially when one factors in the guitar pyrotechnics and "wow" factor. In the end, I fear you will not find anything substantial here. |
| |
| "Fearless, Ambitious, and Youthful Debut Album to Showcase Kaki King's Talent as Guitarist/Composer" | 2008-05-12 |
| - Reviewed By Yusuke Iwasaki |
| Kaki King's debut album, Everybody Loves You, may be the best to showcase her talent as a guitarist/composer. As heard in probably the most prototypical track, "Kewpie Station," she taps the fret and the body of the guitar like a percussive instrument, plays unfamiliar chords, and structures the song with various odd beats that keep changing. To lesser extent, these ingredients are heard on "Steamed Juicy Little Bun," "Carmine St.," "Close Your Eyes," and "Joi." "Carmine St." also carries incredible counterpoint between bass line and melody, performed simultaneously without over-dubbing, while "Everybody Loves You" features Debussy-esque harmony. Combined them all, this fearless, ambitious, and youthful album may be the most impressive and memorable one of hers to date. |
| |
| "Jealous" | 2008-05-04 |
| - Reviewed By Jackye Chan from Dallas, Texas USA |
| It's not fair, Kaki beat me to the release of a style that can only come from tapping into inspiration, where choices reign and decisions are non-existent. It's simply beautiful. |
| |
| "Totally awesome and innovative guitar" | 2006-10-22 |
| - Reviewed By Nicolai Michel from Canada |
| If you want to hear new things from an acoustic guitar, this album, and King's Legs to Make Us Stronger are the ticket. Kaki is extremely talented. I'm eagerly awaiting to hear more music from this stunning artist. Very unconventional, so maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it! |
| |
Expedited Available
