Home > Music > CD Review > Kirsten Price, 'Guts and Garbage'

Kirsten Price, 'Guts and Garbage'

A sassy spin on soul music from a British diva (no, not that one)

By Adam McKibbin

Special to Metromix
June 30, 2008

Critic's Rating:

• Email
• Print View
• Share
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Furl
  • Google
  • Reddit
  • Mixx
  • Mister Wong
  • Yahoo Buzz
  • Yahoo
• Add To Favorites
• Add to playlist

Backstory: Pop-soul singer Kirsten Price grew up singing in church groups in London, then eventually found her way to New York just in time for September 11th. Since then, her timing has improved; Amy Winehouse powered the soul train back into the mainstream, while tracks from Price’s debut, “Guts and Garbage” have already been used in “CSI,” “The L-Word” and “Cashmere Mafia.”

Why you should care: Price self-released her album, but she’s hardly going it alone; her multiple producers include Raphael Saadiq, a longtime presence in R&B whose recent production credits include Joss Stone. She was also recently handpicked as an opener by Wyclef Jean.

Verdict: “Guts & Garbage” makes for a self-assured and sensual debut, but while its hooks are immediate, they often don’t linger. Price competently covers a lot of ground, from classic-sounding R&B to breathy ballads (not her strong suit) to brassy dancefloor pop. The variety helps keep her from sounding too much like a Winehouse wannabe; while there are some parallels, she also brings to mind Stone, Pink and Macy Gray.

X-Factor: If you’re Googling Miss Price, be careful what you click on; she shares her name with an award-winning pornographic actress (and, yes, she hates it when people bring that up).

You will be prompted to register or log in when posting.

Comment

Please note that by clicking on "Post Comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service. Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator.