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May 13 2008
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Elly Roberts reviews
Dawn Kinnard: The Courtesy Fall
Distributed by
Kensaltown Recordings
- March 2008
- Rating: 10/10+
- Vote and comment on this album:
Dawn Kinnard – 2008's new sensation? Possibly.
If you’re gonna release a debut, it might as well be a good ‘un.
Well, actually this is not just a good ‘un, it’s brilliant with Kensaltown Records’
album producer and label owner Martin Terefe bagging himself a major star in
the making. The PR hype says, "The woman is an exceptional talent." She is.
Watching her perform on Later with Jools Holland on Friday 11th April
I didn’t think she came across too well on her first song. Then came a spell-binding
duet with Ed Harcourt, singing the divine ballad Clear The Way – and that
was it. Hooked.
This unique singer-songwriter born in Pennsylvania to devout Baptist preacher
father eventually moved to Nashville, and found her mojo.
The results on The Courtesy Fall are nothing short of spectacular. It’s
in the hands of the gods for her to crack the UK and European market and it would
truly be shame if she didn’t. There are two single possibilities here – Clear The Way
and Coldplay-ish Island, which the latter should be released immediately.
It’s a sure-fire winner.
Drawing influences from 1920s/1930s country, jazz and blues she successfully
crafted her own style with conviction and credibility, making her stand-out
from the crowd of run-of-the-mill singer-songwriters of recent years. Her
vocals are whisky flavoured and razor sharp which is pleasantly refreshing, somewhere
between Norah Jones and Billie Holiday, most notable on the lazy jazz wanderings
of Fortuneteller.
She’s also capable of mixing it a bit too. The lo-fi beginning of All In Your Head
eventually turns into epic proportions, while Devil’s Flame is a teasing
grungy mid-paced rocker with Kinnard some nifty playful sensuality. Freewheeling No Different Now
is the most direct song here, and most commercial, sounding much like mid-70s
Fleetwood Mac.
Her ability to deliver a simple song – Lean To The Glass
– with its tender acoustic guitar touches shows she’s not the kind of singer
whose reliant on big production to create an impact. One Little Step Way
is co-written with Cerys Matthews is a gorgeous but sometimes edgey ballad,
with damaged swaying lullaby White Walls closing a magnificent debut.
File under : Wow!
The full list of tracks included are :
1. All In Your Head
2. Devil’s Flame
3. No Different Now
4. Island
5. Fortuneteller
6. Clear The Way
7. You’re My Kite
8. Stop And Start
9. Lean To The Glass
10. One Little Step Away
11. Pennsylvania
12. White Walls
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
For prints of any of Elly's concert pics online,
email Elly
or call 07765 862017.
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DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
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