Kirsten Price - Brixton To Brooklyn

2010, KPI, Inc.

Kirsten Price - Brixton To Brooklyn

In case you didn't fall in love with her the first time, Kirsten Price is walking by again.  The seriously soulful British-born vocalist ups the ante on her sophomore album, Brixton To Brooklyn.  Price came to our attention last year with her debut effort, Guts & Garbage, showing a depth of talent, a smoldering voice and a penchant for material that was danceable and commercially viable.  Price is all of the above and then some on Brixton To Brooklyn, keeping to a taut pop aesthetic while diversifying her sound with the power chords of rock and roll and the dance beats of a club maven.

Brixton To Brooklyn opens with "With Or Without You", an urgent bit of rock and roll with a dance beat and featuring Price's soulful voice.  It's fresh, hip sound with enough attitude to fit in alongside bands like Evanescence and Paramore but also appeal to Top-40 radio.  The song is extremely commercial in sound without sounding like that was the point.  The chorus will stick with you.  "Moving On" finds Price in restless territory.  Vocal doubling and heavy production tricks are used, but Price's voice crackles with a fire that can't be generated by a computer as she explores heartache and denial.  "Give That Girl" is edgy pop with dark shadows, ripe for remixing for the club scene.  It's not Price's best songwriting but is very commercially viable for more dance-oriented outlets.

"Broken" finds Price traveling down a more cynical path in a down-tempo ballad that sounds as if it were written specifically for radio.  Price's voice is outstanding as always, but "Broken" just doesn't stand up to the rest of the album.  "Take Me To The Top" is pure dance/pop, ala Kylie Minogue but with more edge.  It's an overly simplistic songwriting turn that could become a big hit.  "Gone" features some interesting classical-style piano work but is otherwise unremarkable.  After "Gone" things devolve into a pure dance pop record that's more about sinewy sensuality than concepts such as melody, composition or thoughtful lyrics. 

Brixton To Brooklyn starts out strong but defaults into a simplistic dance cycle for the second half of the album.  This is what Price is aiming here for, and that's understood going in, but Price's past material suggest she's capable of much more than such cynical attempts to be radio and club friendly.  By taking this path she makes herself a part of the pack when she has the potential to stand out.  Brixton To Brooklyn is remarkable for Kirsten Price's voice and presence.  Some of the songs here will undoubtedly make some noise in the dance clubs and on popular radio.  Price is successful in attaining the sort of low hanging musical fruit that is easily accessible and consumable, a path that's certain to keep bread on the table.  But if you listen to the first half of Brixton To Brooklyn in particular, you'll quickly realize she's capable of so much more.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Kirsten Price at www.kirstenprice.com or www.myspace.com/kirstenpricemusic.  Brixton To Brooklyn is available digitally via iTunes.

Review: Kirsten Price - Guts & Garbage

Kirsten Price - Guts & Garbage
2008, KPI

Female vocalists who can sing soul music are all the rage again. Names like Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Macy Gray and Joss Stone sell CDs, MP3s and concert tickets by the boatload, but all have surrendered something of themselves to the music industry and its producers. London born and New York City based Kirsten Price brings the same kind of presence and big voice to the table, but Price eschewed the major label path to maintain total creative control over her material. Her debut album, Guts & Garbage is the true test of whether it's worked. Early returns suggest Price did the right thing.

Price worked with producers Frederick Sargolini, Raphael Saadiq (Tony! Toni! Tone!) and Danny Saber (David Bowie, Madonna, Seal) in the process of creating Guts & Garbage, but all on her terms and in her own way. The end result is one of the most daring and hottest records to be released in 2008. Price mixes Soul, R&B and Rock with ambition and raw sexuality that will melt speaker wires, warp amplifiers and probably require a cold shower when you're done listening. Opening with Magic Tree, Price sets to tone quickly with a sultry vocal against minimal instrumentation just to show she's got the vocal goods. Pop and R&B music hasn't seen an opening so sultry in a generation, and Price is just getting warmed up.

All Right dances on a reggae beat and Price's meaty alto sound. Price will remind folks of Fiona Apple right off the bat, but Price can sing rings around Apple. She's got that low, husky alto that turns heads but she can also break out into an upper register with complete clarity and a glorious sound. Fall mixes spoken word French and sung English in a dark and mysterious love song that resonates in transformation through the major chord chorus. Crazy Beautiful is set to be a major pop and dance hit for Kirsten Price. It has the same infectious energy as Lou Bega's Mambo #5 but with real attitude. Don't be surprised if Crazy Beautiful is a major international hit. Ten years ago it would have been guaranteed. With today's fractious music business and one-note radio wasteland it might take a bit longer, but this song is huge.

Let Me Go opens with a gorgeous orchestral prologue that morphs into an electronic play land in which Kirsten Price can let her voice play. Price makes the most of it here in a piece that is vaguely reminiscent of Milla Jovovich's esoteric The Divine Comedy. Let Me Go mixes elements of R&B, rock and electronic ambience into a rough and beautiful soliloquy that is absolutely unforgettable. Possibilities allows Price one more opportunity to turn your speakers to mush with a vibrant and sensuous performance that will leave listeners more than a little unsettled. Other highlights include 5 Days Old, Freedom and Red Hot.

Kirsten Price isn't the next in a line of Soul/Pop vixens; she's the new face of Soul influenced rock music. Guts & Garbage is more than its name, offering one of the most moving most exciting musical performances I've heard in some time. Kirsten Price is the sort of iconic voice and character the music industry's been waiting for. It's easy to imagine her, twenty years from now as the new Queen of Soul Music. For right now, she's creating on the most vibrant and exciting mixes of Soul, R&B and Rock we've heard in many years. If you don't believe us, consider that some of her tracks have been featured on The L-Word, CSI and Cashmere Mafia even before the album came out! Guts & Garbage is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc; an instant classic.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kirsten Price at http://www.kirstenprice.com/ or www.myspace.com/kirstenpricemusic. You can buy a copy of Guts & Garbage at StretchTheSkies.com or at Amazon.com.