fri 29/03/2024

Krystle Warren, Rich Mix | reviews, news & interviews

Krystle Warren, Rich Mix

Krystle Warren, Rich Mix

The Kansas singer-songwriter who can get an audience to croon in tune

Krystle Warren: smoky, rich, world-weary, honeyed, velvet-smooth, mellifluous

Paradoxically, the greater the number of established artists you find yourself comparing a new talent to, the more original you are eventually forced to conclude this new talent is. So let’s get those comparisons out of the way: this Kansas City gal sounds a bit like Cassandra Wilson, Joan Armatrading, Me’Shell NdegéOcello, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, Bob Dylan, Bill Withers… and the list could go on. But more importantly Krystle Warren already seems to exude the same kind of gravitas as all of this illustrious roll call.

Paradoxically, the greater the number of established artists you find yourself comparing a new talent to, the more original you are eventually forced to conclude this new talent is. So let’s get those comparisons out of the way: this Kansas City gal sounds a bit like Cassandra Wilson, Joan Armatrading, Me’Shell NdegéOcello, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Sly Stone, Bob Dylan, Bill Withers… and the list could go on. But more importantly Krystle Warren already seems to exude the same kind of gravitas as all of this illustrious roll call.

It’s a voice which wraps itself around songs like a feather boa, stretching and squeezing complex lyrics into the service of mercurial melodies’

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Comments

I saw her earlier at this year's RFH Kate McGarrigle tribute. I was told beforehand to pay attention to her, and she was the one performer I'd never heard of. She was wonderful, a total surprise. Even her duet with the over-rated Rufus Wainwright was a lesson in how over-rated he is (and how poor his stage-craft is too). I suspect she'll go from "unknown" to "big" quite quickly, and the opportunity for catching her smaller, more intimate venues, might be lost. So see her while you can.

I love the idea of a wondering minstrel - how great to have a troubadour turn up at your house and then indulge in some lengthy philosophising about the world. Where does one hire such a talent?

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