Kaki King

Espionage, particularly the idea of living a double life, was the basis for Kaki King’s brand-new, stunning album Junior. And like a tantalizing spy novel that’s full of surprises, Junior delivers twists-and-turns: lyrically from exuberance and anger to heartbreaking melancholy; and sonically from experimental pieces to accessible pop. While there is some of the dazzling musicianship King has been renowned for, Junior showcases her further maturation as a well-rounded artist that defies categorization and expectations.

“I never made records for other people,” she says. “My evolution from record to record has been personal not commercial. For example there’s none of the “guitar tapping” that I’m known for. There not a single bit of it on the record except for a half a second on ‘The Hoopers of Hudspeth.’”

As with her previous album, 2008’s Dreaming of Revenge, Junior was produced by Malcolm Burn (Patti Smith, Emmylou Harris) and recorded at his studio in Kingston, New York. But in contrast to that record, which was marked by deep textures and layers as well as unusual instrumentation, Junior was specifically made with only three musicians in mind—in this case, King, multi-instrumentalist Dan Brantigan and drummer Jordan Perlson. The result was something more direct. “Prior to this I would have written a lot in the studio and played all the instruments myself,” King says. “This time, I really leaned on Dan and Jordan to help shape the songs and help me get the record written.”

Genre: Singer Songwriter

> OFFICIAL ARTIST WEBSITE