| Did you ever come across a voice you just | | | | like fine wine, do take time to find their |
| can't stop listening too? Kimberly Jean is | | | | expression within the voice itself. |
| The Voice. | | | | |
| | | | The voice has been forged and fashioned in |
| Last Wednesday, I came across a sample track | | | | the school of hard knocks - turning, not as |
| through a music research site who sent me an | | | | so many singers do, to a hard and bitter |
| email asking me to rate some artists. | | | | resentful voice, but as a voice which, |
| | | | through its experiences has turned toward |
| When I got the site the range was typical, | | | | compassion, understanding and wisdom, with an |
| and mostly, not to my taste. I believe, | | | | occasional foray into a raw and gutsy song, |
| sadly, the spirit has gone out of music | | | | to find its place in the world - its soul |
| replaced only by noise, gibberish, carefully | | | | purpose. |
| crafted marketing and too many words. | | | | |
| Fortunately, this site sends an eclectic | | | | Simultaneously, and you can see it come |
| range of samples and I have discovered a | | | | through in her You Tube "Banana in My Drive |
| number of good artists. | | | | Way" clip, the little girl just having fun |
| | | | comes across in her stage presentation. At |
| I usually I give a track a bit of a listen, | | | | one point you can sense the eight year old |
| rate it, then give it the flick and get back | | | | playing out her dreams of being on stage in |
| to my writing. KJ however just blew me away. | | | | front of thousands - she is in the place she |
| I couldn't get enough. Unfortunately, | | | | is meant to be and something magical is |
| Kimberly Jean has not been picked up yet and, | | | | talking place. There are not a lot of women |
| although I emailed her, I can't get a price | | | | who can front a raw rock/country/blues outfit |
| on shipping her CD Down Under to Australia. | | | | - but Kimberly Jean can. |
| | | | |
| Since Wednesday I have been like a kid in a | | | | Tracking down her CD in Melbourne, Australia |
| candy store exploring The Voice. Kimberly | | | | is going to be hard, but, it is like tracking |
| Jean covers an emotional spectrum from the | | | | a down a good red wine again - the hunt is a |
| sensitive piano solo "Rehearsal" and the | | | | part of the enjoyable anticipation and |
| touching "Perfect Imperfections" through to | | | | suspense. I walked away from playing music |
| the raw energy of "Banana in My Drive Way" - | | | | (bass) back in '82 because it music was |
| AND - this is only her first CD - done on an | | | | turning to crap. Ironically, our band had a |
| independent label. | | | | really hot female singer and we did a brand |
| | | | of raw rock but not enough to pay the bills, |
| If you hunt around her MySpace site and on | | | | and a corporate career beckoned. |
| her web site you can begin to get a sense of | | | | |
| what is shaping up. There is enough material | | | | Since then I haven't missed contemporary |
| to give a representative sense of her depth | | | | music and I didn't want to just get stuck in |
| of talent. I believe we are seeing an artist | | | | the era I grew up in, so have found deep |
| in the making. A real, time-serving. dues | | | | solace in classical music, especially the |
| paid, artist driven by an awesome talent and | | | | works of Beethoven. While classical music is |
| a deep passion for what she does. | | | | rich, my soul occasionally hungers for the |
| | | | raw energy delivered by a good rock, country |
| There are qualities in actual structure of | | | | or blues band. Beethoven is fine, |
| the voice that captivate. This singer is not | | | | sophisticated and powerful, but it isn't raw |
| another one of the current bunch of screamers | | | | and every now and then my soul wants the raw |
| and wailers and off-key wanna-bes. In the | | | | energy of music, especially live music. |
| voice there is a depth, a musical pedigree, a | | | | Kimberly Jean delivers raw energy in her |
| base of experience and other qualities which, | | | | YouTube clip "Banana in My Drive Way". |