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