Album Review: Vows by Kimbra

Are you itching for some some new music on your iPod? I know I am, and Kimbra is the perfect singer to add to your playlist. My attention was drawn to her when I heard her featured in Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” I hadn’t thought much about her afterwards until a friend decided to play Kimbra’s “Settle Down” while studying one day. I immediately looked up her album and have loved it ever since.

Kimbra is a 22 year-old, up-and-coming singer from New Zealand. She began her singing career at a young age in small performances and started gaining recognition when she was 14 years old. Ever since, Kimbra has slowly been making her way to the top. Her first debut album, Vows, is Kimbra’s first step into the larger public spotlight.

In Vows, Kimbra displays a colorful variety of songs. From the pop sounds of “Settle Down” and “Cameo Lover”, to more blues melodies of “Plain Gold Ring”, this album has it all. Even with all the differences in melodic style, Kimbra keeps an underlying message about relationships and love in general. To me, that message says that love is something happy and important to have.

Kimbra uses all different instruments including string bass, drums, trumpet, guitar, keyboard, synthesizers, and of course we can’t forget Kimbra’s magical, wondrous voice. “Settle Down” is the probably one of the weirdest catchy tunes you’ll hear. Kimbra’s voice is so soothing and melodic, it makes the freakiness less obvious. In fact, Kimbra makes creepy seem cool.

Kimbra touches in on warm, long-lost fuzzy feelings in the song “Old Flame”. Listening to this with my earbuds in makes everything slow down, almost like walking in slow motion. It’s one of those ‘pretend you’re in a movie’ moment songs.

The song “Good Intent” definitely reflects its blues influences. With a string bass and a slow burning tempo, this song is perfect for easy listening, minus the usual boredom. It seems impossible for Kimbra to write anything close to boring.

Due to all the contrasts in song styles and Kimbra’s amazing voice, this album has definitely become one of my favorites. With all of this wonderful lilting music floating around in “Vows”, I’m surprised Kimbra hasn’t taken off to center stage in the public spotlight. When Kimbra releases another album, I’m sure the sluggish general public will eventually catch up with Kimbra’s growing stardom.