If you don't know who Kimbra is, she's the chick belting out the second verse of Gotye's mega smash hit, "Somebody That I Used To Know."
Familiar now? Good.
I took some time out to actually listen to the album before I uploaded it, which is unusual for me. I actually wasn't interested in Kimbra when I heard she had an album coming out until someone sent me the video for "Settle Down." It was pretty much love at first listen. If you though the Gotye song was addictive, then you're not ready for the uncontrollable shoulder shrugging and bopping that you'll be doing. At it's core, this song is Kimbra making the beat with her mouth and a tambourine shaking non-stop, but the added hollow drum pats and guitar plucks add a lot to the production of the song. I really want this song to take off on radio.
The further you dig into the album, the more you discover that Gotye's hit was a somewhat misleading introduction to Kimbra, who doesn't really fit into one genre or another. At points she comes across as a funk-coated pop vocalist, while others sound like she's rooted in R&B with a soulful rock twist.
Not sure how this album will be received by critics when this era for her is all said and done, but this is definitely going to be one of the fan-favorite albums of the year. It helps a lot that she is genre hopping because, even though it's not unique anymore, it helps her stand out and join the ranks of artists like Gotye, Adele and Fun. who are dominating charts without conforming to a robotic pop sounds, and for that I commend her. The music isn't overproduced. The breaks in her voice here and there actually make the songs more believable.
I'll give this album a 7 out of 10.
Settle Down
Something In The Way You Are
Cameo Lover
Two Way Street
Old Flame
Good Intent
Plain Gold Ring (Live)
Come Into My Head
Sally I Can See You
Posse
Home
The Build Up
Warrior
Wandering Limbs
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