On the basis of her classy debut album, ‘Words Came Back To Me’ we said the 15 year-old’s songs were of such precocious, able-bodied wisdom that she could qualify for a free bus-pass and help with her winter-fuel bills, and we haven’t changed our mind.
Still only 16 and still rustling up note after note of silky, soft downtempo and feathery, astral jazz, ‘This Storm’ makes a marked, but not dramatic departure from the cosy sophistication and Starbucks froth of ‘Words’. What was schmaltzy is now sexy, what was smooth is now spiky and what had the cute yet inevitable tension of a kid trying desperately to pass herself off as an adult, now has the leathery indifference of a drunken, desperate housewife. It’s there in the frisky and eager opening brushstrokes of, ‘For Every Drop’, the bluesy, garage purr of ‘Borderline’ and the breezy starkisses of ‘Effortless’. Sure the slow ones are still the best, and its clear that this is where Kitchell feels most comfortable, whether it’s the ethereal, campfire beauty of ‘This Storm’, the grizzled blues of ‘Running’ or the raw, wintry moribund of ‘Soldier’s Lament’.
Recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Malcolm Burn (Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris), the album cheerfully surpasses the aloof posturing of ‘Words’ and redefines Kitchell as an artist who is sixteen, as opposed to a sixteen-year old artist. And there’s a subtle but significant difference.
Still cute, still classy, still making us feel slightly pervy.
THIS FIRE’ Released 02.09.08