Customer Reviews

Moon Hut

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this album in high school from a friend who thought it was a little too weird for her. This is the same friend who gave me my first Tori Amos CD, also because she just didn't like the music as much as she thought she would when she bought the album (Which, in case you're curious, was From the Choirgirl Hotel.)

Well insert your favorite cliche here: [Her loss is my gain, one woman's trash is another woman's treasure, take your pick.]. The bottom line is that I wound up really digging this rather strange debut CD from an artist most people have never even heard of. Her songs have a strange echoy quality in the production, and her lyrics have kind of a weird lesbian vibe but if you're a fan of Tori Amos' sometimes impossible to interpret songs, you'll love Kim Fox, trust me. This CD may not be so easy to find these days, now that most used CD stores have shut their doors in the wake of iTunes and the like, but if you happen across it some dark night, go ahead and give it a listen. You just might dig her too.

In a more reasonable world, Kim Fox would be a major star by now. "Moon Hut" is a fine pop music album by an immensely talented singer/songwriter, with occasional touches of lounge singing, Broadway, and even circus music in its many styles. Kim Fox sounds at times like a female Elton John, Dean Friedman or Matthew Sweet. I also hear the influence of Bacharach and David, Cyndi Lauper, and Lesley Gore. She definitely has Lauper's sense of humor. Her cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" is perhaps more haunting than the original, as a slow David Lynch-style ballad (I'm thinking of "In Heaven" from Eraserhead). I also especially like "Found A Penny", "Could Have Been A Saint", "Say Anything" and "Jen". I hope this CD gets re-released as it appears to be unavailable now except from used CD dealers.

I remember picking this up about two years back after a few contributors on one of my many mailing lists enthused over it. At the time, I thought more highly of it than I do now, which is as much to do with the quantity of music that drifts by my ears as with the standard of songwriting on offer here.

"I Wanna Be A Witch" still sounds playful, "Sweetest Revenge" would be the Sundays if only Harriet Wheeler had got there first, but the majority of the remainder sounds almost grating now. Kim doesn't have the strongest of voices, and on more than one occasion it certainly isn't sufficient to pull the material to the surface.

The highlight for me at least, oddly, is her cover of Springsteen's "Atlantic City" which manages to pull off that rare feat of being genuinely unnerving, much in the same way as Stina Nordenstam often is; the whispered vocal and discordant piano really give the song a sinister edge that is probably a million miles away from what Bruce had in mind when he wrote it for "Nebraska" 18 years ago. No mean achievement.

On a more general note, I don't think the production does anyone any favours here, and the echo-chamber atmosphere gets over-used and never truly lets the music escape. I will admit to being curious enough on the basis of "Moon Hut" that I'd give a second album from her a listen, should she release another in the future.

I bought Moon Hut after hearing a promo on a sample CD that I got somewhere. At first I admit I didn't like it as much, but there were a few songs that I just kept craving. I continued to listen to the CD again and again.. and now I am completely hooked. It's a great CD and the lyrics are really honest and real.

Moon Hut is an honest and personal first-time effort, and Kim's talent shines through for a memorable record. My favorite song on this album was the track "Atlantic City," and noticed months later in the liner notes that it's a remake of a Bruce Springsteen song. I was very surprised to learn this because I'm not a B.S. fan. I listened to a sound byte of the original version, and the two don't seem to sound anything alike. Kim's cover is a wonderful rendition that gives the lyrics more poignancy. On the other tracks, her lyrics and melodies are very original and memorable, and each song seems to exist in its own little bubble. Some of the themes in her songs are daydreams, nuances, and childhood fears. She mentions a few other "friends" in her songs, named Jen, Allison and Mary, and shares her feelings towards them and herself. I feel the album's shortcomings may lie in its arrangement or production. The songs are good and the musicians are good, but compared to the production sound of other more well-known artists, this one seems a bit lackluster. I'm looking forward to Kim's next album, and I hope she can hook up with a producer who can do her songs and her voice better justice. I also hope she doesn't go the way of many similar artists who hop into the mainstream for their sophmore effort. Kim, please stay true to yourself.

Kim Fox is good but unexceptional. "Daredevil" is very inventive and some of the other tracks are fun or interesting, but she's not quite worth the money. She's one to keep your eye on though--with a little experience and increased skill, she could become something most certailny worth the money.