The Courtesy Fall - Dawn Kinnard Album Review

Dawn Kinnard

Album Review

Dawn Kinnard – 2008s new sensation? Possibly.

If you’re gonna release a debut, it might as well be a good ‘un.

Well, actually this is not just a good ‘un, it’s brilliant with Kensaltown Records’ album producer and label owner Martin Terefe bagging himself a major star in the making. The PR hype says,” The woman is an exceptional talent.” She is.

Watching her perform on Later…with Jools Holland on Friday 11 April I didn’t think she came across too well on her first song. Then came a spell-binding duet with Ed Harcourt, singing the divine ballad Clear The Way – and that was it. Hooked.

This unique singer-songwriter born in Pennsylvania to devout Baptist preacher father eventually moved to Nashville, and found her mojo.

The results on The Courtesy Fall are nothing short of spectacular. It’s in the hands of the gods for her to crack the UK and European market and it would truly be shame if she didn’t. There are two single possibilities here – Clear The Way and Coldplay-ish Island, which the latter should be released immediately. It’s a sure-fire winner. Drawing influences from 1920s / 1930s country, jazz and blues she successfully crafted her own style with conviction and credibility, making her stand -out from the crowd of run-of-the-mill singer-songwriters of recent years. Her vocals are whisky flavoured and razor sharp which is pleasantly refreshing, somewhere between Norah Jones and Billie Holiday, most notable on the lazy jazz wanderings of Fortuneteller. She’s also capable of mixing it a bit too. The lo-fi beginning of All In Your Head eventually turns into epic proportions, while Devil’s Flame is a teasing grungy mid-paced rocker with Kinnard some nifty playful sensuality. Freewheeling No Different Now is the most direct song here, and most commercial, sounding much like mid-70s Fleetwood Mac. Her ability to deliver a simple song – Lean To The Glass – with its tender acoustic guitar touches shows she’s not the kind of singer whose reliant on big production to create an impact. One Little Step Way is co-written with Cerys Matthews is a gorgeous but sometimes edgey ballad, with damaged swaying lullaby White Walls closing a magnificent debut.

File under : Wow!

Elly Roberts