The Top 20 Albums of 2011 - #19 - Kimbra: Vows

The Top 20 Albums of 2011

#19 Kimbra: Vows

Words by Dirk Calloway

Preface: You're reading the second entry in a daily series. Each day, I'm posting a review about one of 2011's best albums. Over the next 3 weeks, we'll work our way up to the 'Best Album of 2011'. You can catch up on missed entries by clicking this link here.

The 19th best album of 2011 was made by someone born in 1990. Just-turned 21, Kimbra has produced a work that belies her years. It's a pop album in the same way that a Janelle Monaé record might be. This is jazz, lounge, a capella ooo's and aaa's, swing and soul, all wrapped up in a package that is, somehow, definitely 'pop'. Safe to say that very few aspiring starlets out there are getting stuff like this released right now. This is bold, risky music. Not bad for a New Zealander! Check out the first song, Settle Down:

Great huh? It builds in the same way that you bake scones: preheat, sift in the dry stuff, add the thick stuff, stab it, knead it in over itself, press it down, coat it, and then let the heat build it up to something that is both with, and without, form. What an impressive production. Everything folds, bends and buckles under the momentum. Its precision and fluidity reminds me of the album artwork, which features (I presume) Kimbra dusted in white powder and drenched in inky bodypaint:

I'm eagerly awaiting Kimbra's follow-up to Vows. Next time around, I hope she gets more of a chance to dominate the song than the production team does. In Vows, the artist and the music itself are intertwined to such an extent that it's hard to tell who is the genius: the engineers or the singer. For now I'm happy to say both are outstanding groups of musicians making a remarkably coherent record. I'd just like to have a clearer picture in my head next time of who is leading who. In the video below though, there's no doubt who is the star:

Tune in tomorrow to find out who made the 18th best album of 2011! They're also a New Zealander, but don't worry, we'll get back to the Americans and Brits soon enough. And if you want to see other posts in this series, click here.