Music - Part 43 - Kirsty Almeida & The Troubadours

Alright, so Xmas is SOOO last year, but, let’s not be silly about a name.  We don’t only listen to love songs around February 14^th do we?  And, we don’t only play reggae in the Sun do we?  There, that’s the difficult bit over with – always a bit of a weirdo me.

If you’re from Manchester or the North West chances are you’ve heard of Kirsty Almeida.  Last year she was the subject of the Inside Out TV programme on local BBC TV.  After releasing her first album on Decca, she became disillusioned and left to set up her own label and have full creative control.  She performs intimate gigs to small audiences (often at ‘secret’ locations) who arrive in splendid dress, she’s a dress maker, an interior designer, and, she’s even been known to hand craft her own record/cd sleeves.  In fact, if you ordered Winter Songs prior to Xmas, she even gift wrapped it for you!

Winter Songs is a collection of covers and original whacky Almeida compositions.  From the opening Merry Christmas (Let’s Have Fun) this is a fun album and welcomes you to the kooky world of Kirsty –complete with bells, children singing, a tuba (?), and references to the madness of shopping.  From there we’re straight into a cover of Mariah Carey’s awful All I Want For Christmas Is You, but, this version is very palatable with its soulful acoustic guitar and lone voice.  It actually sounds very good and knocks the spots off the version by the aforementioned American screacher. 

Track three is a lovely warming version of Joni Mitchell’s River.  It’s a quite simply stunning cover.  Kirsty’s voice is beautiful, and Joni should be very honoured to have such a tribute.  Words can’t really begin to describe the song – just listen to it.  January Man, written by Ian Reynolds, has a simple, almost jazz cafe feel – acoustic guitars, hi-hats and cymbals, organ – and is so, so relaxing.  Counting in with the ticks of a clock, Tick Tock Tick says goodbye to the outgoing year and welcomes in the new.  A little of the Almeida madness with a bizarre few seconds of silly trumpet and her own countdown to ‘Happy New Year’.

Abandonment is the subject of the superbly titled Just Cancel Christmas.  Left alone in the alleged season of goodwill.  A tale of loneliness.  “Tell Santa to stay at the Pole, tie the reindeer up tonight”.  Shoo-be-do-wap Genius.  It’s always a delight to hear an artist put their own stamp on an old standard, and, Winter Wonderland is just one of those.  Cold Lonely Blue is another self –penned track, and, a great one at that.  The arrangements on this album are just perfect – this particular track sending ice-cold shivers up your spine, and, an icy tear to your eye.

To end the album, there’s a remix of one of Kirsty’s live favourites, Shine All Your Light.  An uplifting track with lovely accompaniment and a quite eerie whispered voice behind the main vocals.  Anything but a Winter song, and, anything but ordinary.  Then finally, we have White Christmas.  Yes, unfortunately it is ‘that’ song.  Represented here by a short and sweet rendition.  If I’m not mistaken Kirsty’s own voice played over in the background created a layered effect.  Complete with the odd bells and tambourines.  What else?

If you’ve never heard of Kirsty, or her very accomplished band, The Troubadours, then this is a good place to get acquainted.  Forget that there are some Xmas songs on this album and enjoy a very underrated and very talented performer.

Find out more about the wonderland world of Kirsty Almeida and buy Winter Songs here 

Follow Kirsty in Twitter here and do whatever you do with Facebook here

Published on Louder Than War 7/01/13 - http://louderthanwar.com/kirsty-almeida-the-troubadours-winter-songs-album-review/