Kindred

Gillespie has a very attractive voice: a range & tone similar to Sinead O’Conner, but without the blow-your-mind power. At times there’s a bit of Shaun Colvin or Kate Bush. The music is often rich and beautiful; the instrumentation varies and at times includes synth, guitars, pedal steel, cello, flute, etc. There’s a bit of synth-pop (think of Yazoo perhaps), a bit of alt-folk, and bit of indie-singer-songwriter. This is a very pleasing record. Try it; you’ll like it.

Be Sharp’s Picks: 3, 1, 2, 5, 10 (roughly in that order)

FCC issue on track 9.

1. ** Mid-tempo with dreamy, mesmerizing vocal. A piano & guitar gently accompany. Drum beat is urgent & driving. Evolves into a lush, little symphony. (6:41)
2. * A folk like ballad with gentle, breathy vocals. The pedal steel is a bit country, but the song isn’t really. (4:53)
3. *** Starts with fun synth, slowly builds in tempo, volume, & richness, then finishes as a rock ballad with crunchy guitar. Gillespie sings in a lower register and it’s her best vocal performance. Terrific. (5:50)
4. Start w/ slow, sci-fi-movie synth, add soft, lovely vox. Long, somewhat ambient. (7:52)
5. * Melody has an Eastern modal quality. Instrumentation is rich & very interesting. (3:45)
6. Slow & dreamy at first, then faster paced. Her vocal sliding is a bit annoying. (5:45)
7. Singer-songwriter-style love song. Acoustic guitar is nice. Not bad, #2 is better. (6:25)
8. A lullaby in 3/4 with some crunch. Swirling vocal, nice electric guitar. (5:07)
9. Country-folk story telling with acoustic guitar, piano, woodwinds, cello. Sadly it's got an FCC obscenity, so don't play on the radio. (4:47)
10. * Repeat the description of #1. But add some brass. That one’s a bit better. (8:39)