Being brought up surrounded by so many different cultures, Kim Vogels was drawn to the power and energy of the original sound of those worlds i.e. Flamenco, Klezmer, Celtic, early Persian, Gypsy, Native American, Folk & Blues etc. Even though these musical styles are all quite different from each other, they hold a similarity in their powerful connection to their culture. “Native” is the EP which also includes a promo video for the track “Call Of The Wild.”
Kicking off with the likes of “Years Ago” was a superb idea to set the track order up on “Native,” which is an EP that calls for a sense of chronological order that way. But it’s mostly the voice of Kim Vogels that captures my attention. The songs are brilliant but their basic content aren’t all that entice here. The chops are to be pointed out as well, as it does take some sinking in to arrive at the beauty of everything that cannot usually be sensed in just one sitting. But it also doesn’t take long to figure that out, either. This is why I find the opening ingredients to be of the best dynamics to be found among these tracks that tend to stack up so well that can be an easy factor to miss. But either way you are ready for good material after hearing this one opening track. And it’s only getting started, as it leads into the terrific “Two Of A Kind” which keeps the great vocal standard but gets more complex behind it with a country and western flair as it tells of horseback and gunfire in places. It’s not hard to tell that she is steeped in both history and environmental songwriting. But it comes out even more as it continues, as it doesn’t stop at this one track. And as many times as it takes for this to sink in, you come away knowing it is a top shelf tune. It takes nothing away from other tracks, as they all mingle together well, but perhaps this just keeps an edge with me, as one of the favorites of them all on the EP.
But the next track, “Call Of The Wild” is almost another story, as it seems to contain the elements found on all of these tracks, but musically also goes the furthest distance. This is shown mostly on the amount flamenco guitar which is more or less the highlight of the track behind the brooding vocal performance delivered on it. Then a video can be seen to help enhance all of the above, as it goes a long way in doing so to help it stick in the mind. What you get is both a sensational audio and video experience if you watch it. Kim Vogels is featured in a sequence that brings souls together in her path while walking through the forest. This is why it’s recommended to check out the clip. A very Gypsy-like song.
“Daisy” brings out the singer/songwriting wonder in Kim Vogels that is sensed along the way but mostly shines on this track, with a good storyline that brings it out. You can read the words and get the same overall inspiration but the music does the business behind it too. It just sizzles along nicely at a slow pace to keep you attracted to the song at all times. This wasn’t expected at this point but nevertheless welcomed as you start to feel with the girl in which the song is about, but also liken it to a daisy flower wilting away. As there is a cross reference between people and flowers here that succeeds in the charm of it all. This is done with major precision and grace.
And it all closes out with the last but not least being that of “Till The End Of Time” which had me not only wanting more, but already looking forward to her next release. With an EP and a single with the video under the pillow now, once can only hope that a complete LP set will come next. This is an artist who should not only being aspiring to fell length albums, but she should also be as wifely shifted as they get. There is a global appeal to Kim Vogels that only takes one listen to find, and that can’t always be done in an EP’s length but she still accomplished either way on “Native.” But it is like building the perfect beast if not followed up with every intention to improve what is already close to that of perfection.
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/kimvogelz
URL: http://www.kimvogels.com/
9/10 Stars
Cyrus Rhodes
