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‘The Golden Echo:’ Welcome to Divatown – Kimbra review

Al Gentile
Connector Editor

Kimbra’s “The Golden Echo” is a such musical quilt of disparate styles – ranging from 70′s funk and soul to 80′s urban pop, 90′s R&B and modern psychedelic electronics – that it’s impossible to place in one genre. This helps make her most recent effort so endearing.

Kimbra is no stranger to history. Her debut album “Vows” (2011) tackled her jazz roots and focused more on vocal dexterity. “The Golden Echo” takes it a step further by delving into the music that she grew up with: at 24, she’s no stranger to the above influences and more, and her newest effort is a way to capitalize on that history.

The layering on this album is what makes each song her own. The more original pieces like “Teen Heat” and “Carolina” are soaked in lush synthesizers with pop song structures. “’90s Music,” the flagship track, brings us to a new space where hard urban hip-hop meets The Flaming Lips. “Miracle” is very Diana Ross-esque and “Madhouse” is surely a tip to Janet Jackson.

A real stand-out on the album is the track “Everlovin’ Ya,” which features New York neo-soul artist Bilal. Very much reminiscent of Zappa’s jazzier moods on “G-Spot Tornado,” the hard, droning beat and thick synths create a wide cosmic soundscape. Bilal’s voice injects a veltety texture into the piece that awkardly tries to ground this space-jazz tune.

From straightforward modern pop to psychedelic-tinged Parliament funk, this album has no place for minimalists. It’s big, deep and makes interesting, though sometimes contrived, turns throughout. Know ahead of time that if you’re looking for a genre album, you will be sorely disappointed.