There's plenty to like about Kingsley Flood, an Americana band from Boston whose debut album, "Dust Windows," drops on April 3. Frontman Naseem Khuri - a Westwood native and Kennedy School grad - has a distinctive voice, both the literal kind for singing and the metaphorical kind for songwriting. His melodies are lovely enough, his hooks hooky enough, to qualify most of the songs for a Jayhawks record, but his grainy, slightly cracked vocals play nicely against that smoothness. Think Jeff Tweedy or Mike Doughty.
Listen: Cathedral Walls
The music definitely drives the Americana lane, with guitars, bass and drums augmented by fiddle and mandolin. The rootsy traditionalism of a Levon Helm marks "Stoop Cats" and "Devil's Arms," but those are my least favorite songs here. The tracks that stick in my head the longest are harder to pin down, like "Cathedral Walls," "A Little Too Old" and "Good Enough." There's a sardonic, Dylanesque snap to Khuri's voice on "Cul de Sac" and "Roll of the Dice."
Listen: Roll of the Dice
The album was recorded in Vermont last summer, and opens with the sound of the local peepers. There are lots of other nice little sonic grace notes, from the tex-mex-y trumpet fills on "Cul de Sac" to the walking bass and drum opening of "A Little Too Old," a caper-flick soundtrack that opens out into something else entirely.
I don't review albums here, normally. Most of the local CDs people press on me are, you know, sort of... eh. I gave this one a listen because - full disclosure - I'm casually acquainted with bassist Nick Balkin through his day job. I'm really glad I did.
Check the Kingsley Flood site for more, including details on their April 3 album release party (10 p.m. at the Middle East) and appearances before then on WERS-FM and the Fox 25 morning news. You can hear most of the album here.
(Pictured, from left: Khouri, guitarist George Hall, Balkin, drummer Will Davies and Jennee Morgan, fiddle/mandolin/percussion.)
Comments