Kaleidoscope Heart

Sara Bareilles | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 7, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Epic
• ASIN: B003NE65GI
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #15 in Music > Pop > Adult Alternative

Editorial Reviews

Sara Bareilles returns to center stage with her sophomore album Kaleidoscope Heart featuring the hit single, “King of Anything.” The album is the follow up to Sara’s massive debut, Little Voice which spawned the double platinum selling track “Love Song."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Sophomore Album in YEARS!, September 7, 2010

By 

Cade_ATX (Austin, TEXAS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaleidoscope Heart (Audio CD)

Easily my top 3 albums of the year! Let's start with that. This album is the most delightful and expansive (style-wise) sophomore album I think I've ever heard since The Score from The Fugees (bold statement... I know). But I seriously cannot get enough of this CD. I've had a copy of it for about three days (I know, sue me). But I also pre-ordered the iTunes version for the pre-order song and ordered a hard copy version off Amazon to make up for my conscience.

From start to finish, this relentless work of beauty captures you early with great percussions (and excellent violin placement on Uncharted) along with the Bareilles-uniqueness of lyrics she always has. Many of the poppier songs take full advantage of the time signature that even my fingers are tapping to the rhythm as I type this review. Another highlight is the actual pacing of the album itself. The album as a whole feels like you've just taken two deep breaths, breathing in being the excitement from the catchy pop songs and breathing out to being the solace you find from the softer, piano/acoustic guitar tracks.

Let's take a walk, track-to-track:

* Kaleidoscope Heart (*/*) - No need to rate the intro, though it is a perfect intro! Feels like a minute of Hide & Seek from Imogen Heap. Definitely sparks your interest for what's about to come.

* Uncharted (5/5) - And Bam! Off we go... catchy simple piano backed with violin work. Simple progression into full band kick-in. Her singing style is great with this song. I simply love how the verse lines each start slow and finish with rapid-fire lyrics. Not only a perfect start to the album, but I also feel this would be a perfect start to a live show for her.

* Gonna Get Over You (4.5/5/) - Four beats of 1820's burlesque piano into Neo-New York pop piano work... perfect. Snapping fingers perfectly assist the verses into a very catchy and sweet/sassy chorus. "Maybe... it's a vicious little word that could, Slay Me..." I love how each line isn't necessarily a full sentence yet broken up into bits and pieces of full thoughts, a style of work she does so poetically well in nearly all her tracks.

* Hold My Heart (4.5/5) - A perfect "lights go down, slow-mo scene, character realization piece. Bass drum beat with three-chord piano progression and handclaps carry Act 1 of this song perfectly leading up to the full band lead-in for the remainder. The bridge is excellent on this song by the way! Reminds me of "Come Around Soon" but without that beautiful, treasure-esque note she hits (which I still find as the best note recorded this decade). Finishes beautifully with another chorus. Excellent songwriting once again.

* King Of Anything (5/5) - There are so many things I would say if only I was able....... :)

* Say You're Sorry (4/5) - This is my least favorite song on the album (and by no means does that mean I skip over it when I listen thru!) The hardest part for me about this song is that it's my favorite song lyrically, it came out as perfect as I know she wanted it to production-wise, and has a nice chorus... for some reason it just doesn't resonate with me as much as the rest of the CD does. I know this is going to be many people's favorite by the way... it truly is a great track.

* The Light (4.5/5) - Alright! You ready to breathe out now? I love this song! Might be the most poetic song on the CD. The percussion pairs excellent with the piano and high notes she hits throughout the song. This is one of those songs that you can put on during traffic and before you know it, you're home with a high hat kick.

* Basket Case (5/5) - Great track! Starts like a Dylan/Springsteen ballad in the way the harmonica sings with acoustic strings. An excellent, subtle song that prepares you for your second breath.

* Let The Rain (5/5) - Alright, breath number two starts a third of the way through this track. My favorite track by far on this CD. Has everything in it! Lyrics, drum beat, piano, hook, VERY creative style. All and all, just excellent.

* Machine Gun (4.5/5) - This has my FAVORITE hook on the CD. I find myself just bobbing my head back and forth through the verse, using the minor chord she hits during the pre-chorus as a warm up for yelling the hook out loud. The bridge is great lyrically too... "don't just hide in the silence behind what you've been really trying to say". ALMOST as epic as Many The Miles.

* Not Alone (4/5) - A great, smoky, blues and burlesque feel all the way through. Has that creepin' bassline that she adapted through a few tracks off Little Voice. A solid song but can end up being a song that finishes before you know it. Not the catchiest tune on the list but lyrically (common theme, eh?) superb. The bridge is fun and she surprises you with an Alfred Hitchcock interview clip towards the end.

* Breathe Again (5/5) - OK everyone! Time to start breathing out your second breath with the second best track on the CD. A lot more relatable for most people I feel. The drum and piano dance together flawlessly in sync once again and have this sneaky electric guitar in the background that, all in all, just work perfectly. The last 30 seconds bring back that Imogen Heap feel. Beautiful.

* Bluebird (4.5/5) - Beautiful finish... as if you would expect nothing else from what you just heard. Great lyrics, simple beat, beautiful violin and voice. I love the idea of this song and what she's singing about.

And we're done! Congratulations, you've made it through one of the most anticipated albums of the year. I can't express (or can I?) how wonderful this CD is. I just can't wait to hit up La Zona Rosa next month for the Austin show. It's going to be amazing, I know!

Oh, and also, do not actually try to listen to this whole CD in two breaths... you will for sure kill yourself...

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Colors In This Kaleidoscope, September 7, 2010

By 

Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Kaleidoscope Heart (Audio CD)

Sara Bareilles confidently sidesteps the threat of sophomore slump with "Kaleidoscope Heart." The album is sugary yet mature pop from head to toe.

Produced with care and empathy by Neil Avron, it breathes easily and organically, resulting in a sunny surface that lets the lyrics and melodies radiate without excess sounds or beat clouding it. This is the kind of record Sarah McLachlan's fans wish she was capable of crafting again.

Lead single "King of Anything" is highly indicative of the album as a whole with its witty observations and jangly, radio-friendly melody. "Uncharted," the first song Bareilles penned for the LP, is a moment of euphoric revelation, propelled with such urgency that it sounds like it had no choice but to escape the mind of its writer. It is just idiosyncratic enough to show Bareilles' texture and individuality yet also has hit potential due to its colorful, instantly endearing hook.

"Gonna Get Over You" is even more solid and well-oiled - a doo-wop-infused slice of relentlessly catchy, hopelessly upbeat piano pop that is radio-friendly all over. The lyrics and melody sound blissfully wed and inextricable. As with most of the songs, not a single syllable is awkward or wasted, and not one moment is excessively noisy or cluttered.

"The Light," with its pastoral, gorgeous, wintry arrangement, is so intense it feels like it might absolutely burst from the pressure built up inside it. The brooding "Hold My Heart," which resembles Beyonce's "Halo" with its anonymous handclaps, is nonetheless similarly stirring with its brooding contemplation and Bareilles' passionate vocals. She moves in-between the high and low notes with mathematical - though never mechanical - precision. Where her voice lacks inherent beauty her sincerity and expressiveness compensate effectively.

"Say You're Sorry" is a cheeky slice of thoughtful, adult-oriented pop song craft, as is the kinetic, highly inspired, almost prayerful "Let the Rain." The aching, elegant "Breathe Again" begins with perhaps the best-written line on the album - "Car is parked, bags are packed, but what kind of heart doesn't look back?" Simple, sharply observed beauty shines through.

Most of Bareilles' peers are masterful at either lyrics or melody, but even the lesser moments of "Kaleidoscope Heart" show that she is masterful at both of them. It is heartening to see an artist put such vested effort in on a studio recording fated to sell relatively few copies in a troubled music industry. Her skills are so strong and incisive that for 50 minutes it feels like the mid-90s again, when singer/songwriters could still sell millions of records and their singles were warmly welcomed on radio.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a new fan of a great talent, September 7, 2010

By 

Stephen Aldrich "friendinME" (Kittery, ME) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kaleidoscope Heart (Audio CD)

I am a new fan. I heard Sara on television today and she grabbed my attention in the middle of a busy morning. I bought the album and love it. In a day when so many performers try to disguise their lack of ability with smoke clouds and laser beams, distracting costumes and an assortment of non-musical stupidity, Sara is a breath of fresh air. She is a wonderful songwriter who delivers her work with power, beauty and authenticity. The album is a true pleasure to listen to. This girl has talent. I don't buy very many whole albums, but this one is worth it.