Customer Reviews

Give & Take

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With her striking exotic looks, her gifted voice, and her talent for writing provocative lyrics, Kim Char Meredith is perfectly suited to be the poster girl for the next generation of women in music. The award-winning mother of two first achieved recognition for her talents in her native Hawaii, where in 1999 she was Winner of the Hawaii Music Award for "Favorite Pop Recording Artist". She's been a three-time Nominee for Hawaii's "Grammy": the Na Hoku Hano Hano Award. She's released seven praised CD's, with her first CD's having been categorized in the Christian Contemporary genre. Her first "mainstream" recording was 1998's "Slender Line of Lavender". However, one of the first impressions the listener gets from "Give and Take", Kim Char Meredith's new CD, is that this star simply can't be classified into one musical genre. We learn that, like the emotions she expresses in her music, Ms. Meredith's sound is multifaceted... and too mosaic to be labeled into one category. In "Give and Take", Meredith incorporates sounds of country, folk, rock, religious music, and radio-friendly pop. One example of the diversity within her music is the second track, the stellar "Sunrise to Sunrise". The song has a country sound to it... yet Meredith also throws in a catchy record-scratching sound effect, as well as some unique guitar work for a rock flavor.

Kim Char Meredith writes all her own music and lyrics-- and what lyrics they are! On "Give and Take", Meredith tackles some emotionally potent subject matter... and she does it, the listener will agree, with an unparalleled realness and honesty. In the touching "Mystery of You", she sings of the desire to learn about her family's history, as part of a mission to learn more about herself. So many meanings can be interpreted from her delivery of this track. "If Only", a song ostensibly written for a deceased friend, is truly heartfelt... and thanks to Ms. Meredith's spiritual leanings, the track takes an uplifting and positive tone (a la Janet Jackson's "Together Again"), with lyrics like "I don't see you but I feel you, and I know you're near me. I don't see you but I feel you, and I know you hear me." Of course, being a passionate woman, "Give and Take" has plenty of songs about-- what else?-- love, love, love. Kim Char Meredith's musical exploration of love are about as far away from the rote Top 40 offerings of today as you can get. The opening track, "You Want In", is about the difficulties of intimacy in a relationship. We have little doubt that Meredith wrote this as an intensely personal ode to a lover-- but boy, can we ALL relate! In the subsequent "Sunrise to Sunrise" and "Language of Love", we discover that this gal's got an intensely powerful voice as well as an impressive range. Her vocal talents can effortlessly run the gamut from wide-eyed, girlish innocence to knowing woman-of-the-world. She takes on a no-nonsense, harder-edged attitude in "Won't Take It On"-- complete with expert guitar riffs. Kim Char Meredith can rock! After all, this was the girl who opened for fellow rock chick Melissa Etheridge in Hawaii in 2002. A sheer delight on the CD is the playfully lusty "Take Me on the Road". With lyrics like "You drive so well, with only one hand on the wheel... I'm amazed-- No, I'm in awe as you make the curves!", it's the sexiest road song since Prince's "Little Red Corvette": Intentionally or not, "Giving and Getting Better" the eighth track, seems to be something of an evolution from "You Want In". While Meredith expresses the difficulties of getting close to a lover in "You Want In", "Giving and Getting Better" has her singing about the joys of true love and commitment: a true catharsis of sorts. It's yet another of the emotionally intricate, yet instantly accessible, love songs on the CD.

"Give and Take" is an absolute joy for the listener. There's not one iota of pretense in her lyrics, and not even the slightest bit of sugar coating even in her most touching love songs. She writes music about her life, and her natural feelings and emotions come through. For the final track, "Fly", Ms. Meredith tackles the serious subject of domestic abuse, but her message in the lyrics is one of escape, hope, and inspiration. "Fly" takes on an uplifting, spiritual, almost gospel-like quality. It's also strikes me as a fitting anthem to close "Give and Take". With Kim Char Meredith, the listener discovers that the sky's the limit.

"Give and Take" is an enhanced CD which features the video for "You Want In", a photo gallery, and more.

If you are a fan of great music then you don't need to look any further that Kim Char Meredith - she is an amazing artist and you can feel the excitement in each song - my personal favorite is Sunrise to Sunrise Giving and Getting Better.

If you get a chance to see her in person - you must go!

i have had the great honor of playing live with kim char and it was a extremely positive experience. her confidence and aggressiveness shines through on every track. her voice is passionate and her acoustic guitar chops are intense. she plays with a kind of heart and soul that the music scene seems to be running short on. her tracks reflect her eclectic personality: chill acoustic, pop rock, love songs, country, and she even carries a kind of religious tone throughout this piece.

some of the notable tracks include:
- Rumble And Hum (personal favorite, nicknamed "the train song")
- Giving And Getting Better
- Language Of My Love
- Sunrise To Sunrise

kim char carries the listener through an intensely enjoyable musical experience.

highly recommended.