Kaki King

Kaki King is quickly solidifying her position in that elite group of musicians that can sit onstage for an hour with nothing but a guitar and keep the crowd entertained. I had managed to stumble upon the end of her set at Wakarusa this summer and was absolutely mesmerized for about ten minutes -- and then she was finished. I had seen plenty of artists do a similar gig before that are fantastic: Leo Kottke, Tim Reynolds, Charlie Hunter, Keller Williams -- but there was something different about the way that Kaki King performed that made me instantly want to hear more.

As phenomenal as those musicians are, King adds an element that clearly separates her from the pack: she uses the guitar as a percussive instrument. Not to say that’s never been done before, but King has long-considered herself a natural drummer. She was even a member of the Blue Man Group.

Her latest release, Legs to Make us Longer, showcases not only her mastery of the guitar but also her ability to expand traditional boundaries of solo artistry. The reason her album and shows are so captivating isn’t because she falls back on loops like so many other artists, but because she’s playing in the moment – powerful strumming offset by nimble plucking and some slaps on the body of the guitar. “Playing with Pink Noise” and “Ingots” are a couple tunes early in the album where King’s drumming experience seeps into the song structure.

“Doing the Wrong Thing” is perhaps the finest track on the album with fantastic melodies and an overall structure that is slightly rigid, but offers just enough space for King to take the song in a few different directions. The song has a steady, driving rhythm that is countered perfectly with some graceful sliding on the guitar.

King brings in some sporadic help on the disc: piano, violin, viola, upright bass, cello…and while they don’t take anything away from the music, they don’t necessarily add a great deal to it. “Magazine” is a track near the end that offers some jaw-dropping explosiveness from the Atlanta native. The first couple minutes are fairly unassuming until King charges ahead with some inspired licks on the six-string. Rounding out the album is “My Insect Life,” which is the only track that features vocals of any sort, which is almost too bad – she has a great voice as well.

Legs to Make us Longer is an all-around solid effort by one of the most interesting artists to emerge in the past few years. Kaki King has been playing “professionally” only since September 11, 2001. In its aftermath, she took to the subways of New York armed only with the guitar on her back. Since then, King has been touring incessantly across the country opening for such acts as Keb Mo, Soulive Mike Gordon and Charlie Hunter. She has risen quickly through the ranks, not through overexposure on the airwaves, but simply by being so damned entertaining. While Legs to Make us Longer offers a great glimpse into Kaki King’s world, its her live shows that aren’t to be missed. As King herself acknowledges, it comes down to one thing: “Touring, touring, touring. It’s what I love to do – the stage is where I’m most creative.”