Until We Felt Red is Kaki Kings’ third blessing to her listeners, and is shaped by the elegant admissions of her guitar. The unconventional interplay between King and her guitar acts as the linchpin to the record; instead of simply strumming the strings, she excitedly plucks them while simultaneously tapping the guitar’s body.
Having played the drums as her first instrument, this native of Atlanta first honed her unique talent at cafí© open mic nights and subway stations in New York City.
When seeing her play live, her peculiar style is immediately obvious. King holds her left hand over the neck of the guitar while tapping on the fret-board with her right hand.
In her first two albums, Everybody Loves You and Legs to Make You Stronger, she carefully paints a luscious winter park where one is invited to ponderously walk. Both classically refreshing and exemplary of her prowess as an acoustic guitarist, every track portrays a completely different landscape.
Even at first listen, the beauty and quality of King’s playing is a marvel to behold. It’s unlike anything you have ever heard, and unlike similar albums; Red’s unique attributes do not make it an intolerable piece of “art-rock.” Close Your eyes and You’ll Burst into Flames is a great song, and a fitting introductory piece.
Despite the splendor and beauty of Kaki King’s medleys, her past works seem to suffer from a lack of cohesion in comparison to an album like Mew’s and the Glass Handed Kites (reviewed in August). This may be due to the fact that King had created the songs at different times and then played them in subway stations in New York City before the idea of recording them was introduced. Alternatively, it may be that she was not backed by a full band, and abstained from using any electric instruments.
King’s voice in Red, tacit in her two previous albums, triumphantly adds more cohesion to her songs with the addition of a full band, backup vocals and electric guitar.
Delightfully sullen, Kaki’s voice complements the cool breeze that emerges from the plucks of her guitar. Listen to You Don’t Have To Be Afraid on Red to feel that Kaki King will make a difference. Red has truly blessed our ears.
