CD Reviews

Kaki King

. . . Until We Felt Red | Velour

By TED DROZDOWSKI | June 27, 2006

3.0 Stars

MONSTER STYLIST: Kaki King

Although she’s barely larger than her guitar, New Yorker Kaki King is a monster stylist. She emerged from the pit band of NYC’s Blue Man Group production as an acoustic player with an idiosyncratic approach built on two-handed tapping and low tunings. On her third album, she’s more versatile, blending a wealth of electric- and acoustic-guitar sounds and approaches into pieces that occasionally veer toward the textural architecture of Brian Eno. “Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers” might sound like one of Eno’s collaborations with his steel-guitar-playing brother Roger if not for the gently chugging drumbeat. King treats her singing as she does the slide, strummed, and single-note guitars, overdubbing vocal parts on opener “Yellowcake” and other tunes until they become simply another layer in the mix. But she’s a careful sonic sculptress. Even the big crashing chords beneath the title track are kept at a subdued volume, so their effect is more emotional than visceral. All of which makes this disc a fount of hushed, inventive beauty, perfect for relaxed listening

On the Web
Kaki King: http://www.kakiking.com/

Related: Song of herself, 2010 preview, Times a' changed, More

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Kaki King, "Gay Sons Of . . . " (mp3 via MySpace)

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