Kaki King
...Until We Felt Red

(Velour)

First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2006, Volume 13, #8

Written by John Metzger

Over the course of her first two albums, Kaki King established herself as a first-rate guitarist, capable of coaxing an amazing array of sounds out of her instrument. On her latest effort ...Until We Felt Red, however, she signals that perhaps she might be interested in achieving something even greater. Though she continues to fuse John Fahey with Michael Hedges while providing a dazzling display of her dexterity, she also has begun to broaden her stylistic range by shifting from introverted instrumentals to more accessible, though no less atmospheric, alt-rock fare. Tapping Tortoise’s John McEntire to produce, King envelopes her compositions in denser textures that swerve from the dreamily hypnotic Yellowcake to the Pink Floyd-ian explosiveness of the title track. Elsewhere, she ventures into delicate, ethereal jazz on I Never Said I Love You, while on the expansive You Don’t Have to Be Afraid, she sculpts a slow-building, multi-part symphony of soothing, gentle beauty that begins with fragility but ends with strength and confidence. There are moments when King is so focused upon the precision of her craft that her material loses its emotional edge, but these are more the exception than the rule. In the end, ...Until We Felt Red is a hushed and subdued affair that escapes many of the pitfalls that frequently undermine the works of virtuosos.

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2006 The Music Box