I have been extremely busy navigating a PhD program I Atlanta, GA, and man do I miss bringing you all new music. Otherwise, I would have introduced you to this a lot sooner. I still want to say, WOW, why did I wait so long to listen to such a captivating voice backed by such an amazing band that seems to lift Klein onto wings to let her soar through a mountain landscape and a stream of lyrics coursing through it.
Klein found me via MusicSubmit, but I wish I had had stumbled across her in a club somewhere when I was still in Austin where she resides or even anywhere else. She is a breath of fresh mountain air that would not be out of place on a bill with Billy Strings or the Wild Reeds. Klein’s voice is solo with a few occasional harmony vocals from her incredible band but she sings like a harmony of beautiful and incredible vocals unto herself. The combination of the band’s instrumentation with her voice is stellar, stunning, and sometimes ethereal.
There are a few standout tracks here. Float Like a Pebble opens the album and draws us in. The song, like the rest of the album, isn’t all sunshine and happiness, but the power of the instrumentation is strong enough to carry anyone through to see the light at the end of any dark passage. Not Mine seems to be a song that pines for a romantic something more but with the understanding that, while the main character wants it, it will never happen, and she seems to understand that with a reluctant but sad happiness while enjoying the fleeting ethereal moment. Enemy is just a little tune that opens as a simple horn and drums, violin, flute and some sparse instrumentation just a bit different than the rest, but the lyrics talk of birth and similarities between all of us, to consider our humanity. Such a song should give anyone pause to consider anyone that appears as different on the outside as not so different on the inside. We’re all struggling to do our best and we can help each other now and then.
Klein’s voice could be likened to the birds near a clear mountain stream singing with all their might, just for pure joy for the Universe to appreciate.
RadioMike 9 January 2024