The
dependable Tru-Thoughts label from Brighton delivers
another gem in the shape of this debut release from
Bergen based Kinny aka Caitlin Simpson. First coming
to my attention with the excellent 2005 set 'Kinny
and Horne' with Espen Horne she now strides out on
her own with a diverse set of jazzy modern soul.
A well travelled lady; the influences that brings
are well in evidence here as are the different
styles of several different producers ranging from
the electronic soul of rising Norwegian star
Souldrop to the deep modern jazz of Nostalgia 77.
Kinny is a classically trained opera singer who
now prefers the passion and freedom of jazz, soul
and reggae, however what the more formal grounding
does for her is that it gives her the confidence to
lead vocally with the minimal amount of instruments
backing her dulcet tones.
Check out the already familiar 'Forgetting To
Remember' with double bass backing and the title
track 'Idle Forest of Chit Chat' to realise that you
do not need big orchestrations to sound good. Whilst
the latter ends with brass it does so in a way
that still allows the voice to dominate and Kinny
does just that with vocals that soar and interpret
the songs with intelligent phrasing and difficult
vocal chord changes that are to her
exceptional talent effortless in execution. This is
future soul no more evident than in the variance of
styles prevalent in the track 'Water for
chocolate' where again the simple but effective
backing allows the sheer quality of the singing to
shine.
This is a hugely accessible hip album where the
redefining of the soul genre deserves the same sort
of acclaim that came to a certain Ms Winehouse.Make
no mistake, Kinny rules and long may it continue!
