CD Review

Kaki King has earned a growing fan base over the years for her innovative guitar playing and artfully looped songs, but on her third album …Until We Felt Red, the Brooklyn-based musician adds a new weapon to her arsenal: her voice. On previous discs King would occasionally hum or coo harmonies to her atmospheric compositions. It served the songs well, but upon hearing King’s delicate voice for the first time, one wonders why she had kept it tucked away. She sounds fragile, but musically focused, and although fewer than half the songs feature her vocals, they stand out as the album’s most emotional tracks.

Assuming production duties on Red is Tortoise member/producer John McEntire, and his touch is evident on the more aggressive numbers where jangly guitar lines slice through softly swirling backgrounds. Also new is King’s move away from the acoustic guitar. It’s still the foundation of many songs, but the electric guitar, pedal steel, harp, thumb piano, and drums allow King to make her most musically complex record to date.

For more info see: kakiking.com