"Cameo Lover" has a funky disco edge which is beyond catchy, a track which breaches the barriers of conventional pop music. The first single "Settle Down," written before her relocation, uses looping vocals and deep bass tones to merge her urban and experimental styles with exceptional results. Part smokey jazz, part delectable pop, part experimental R&B, this album slides effortlessly between genres. Her patience and hard work has paid off handsomely, as Vows is exceptionally multifaceted. The next few years were spent writing, researching, and working with other musicians in order to widen her mind. Despite her obvious talents, she also needed to make the tough decision to relocate to Australia at 17 after being scouted by Mark Richardson (who had previously worked with a young Jamiroquai in the UK). Despite no formal vocal training, she finished as runner-up in a national talent competition at just 14 years old. Born in Hamilton, New Zealand, but now residing in Australia, Kimbra (Johnson) will no doubt be the next Kiwi musician to be pilfered after the release of her debut album, Vows.Īs a child, Kimbra began writing and playing guitar at a very early age. The album will be released May 22.Įnjoy this incredible live performance of the Gotye & Kimbra duet, Somebody That I Used to Know, recorded for Morning Becomes Eclectic, Nov 15, 2011.Australians have an underhanded habit of claiming successful New Zealanders as our own. Vows will be available to stream on demand from May 14 through May 22, 2012. But the album marks the unmistakable arrival of a gifted and audacious talent who's still learning how to fully harness a knack for genre-bending pop that's as smartly crafted as it is sleek. Kimbra herself dominates the lively production with the assertive and elastic voice of a born belter, whether she's feeding the supercharged Motown vibe of "Cameo Lover" or the slow, sinister seethe of "Plain Gold Ring."Īt 21, Kimbra hasn't yet perfected the art of nuance, which can make Vows exhausting in large doses even in slow-burning ballads such as "Old Flame" and "The Build Up," she has a way of pushing out her words in ways that never seem effortless. The album, out here on May 22, is a simultaneously booming and spangly concoction - a huge, brash showcase for Kimbra's voice, which soars, squeals and coos over whiz-bang arrangements that fuse modern pop, old-school soul and slick R&B. Gotye and Kimbra have toured together as their song keeps topping charts worldwide, and that's only helped generate interest in the latter's full-length U.S. The young New Zealander lends the huge-voiced female counterpoint to Gotye's ubiquitous hit "Somebody That I Used to Know," which has essentially opened a wormhole to fame for both singers.
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