Customer Reviews

Rocking Horse

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

 

 

I am very taken with Rocking Horse, as much as I was with Tigermouth and Pyschic Cat, Kelli Ali's other albums. I only got this CD this week and I've been listening to it quite a lot of the last few days.
I think Ms Ali's songwriting skills continue to grow and her singing, as always, very attractive and expressive. I hope that this album does well, because it deserves to.
I will write more a little later...

Okay, this is a SUPERB album. It is like a collection of Lieder, performed by a chamber music group. Charlotte Gainsbourg did something similar with her very enchanting album, "5:55", and Alison Goldfrapp's "Seventh Tree" ventured, less successfully, I'm afraid to say, into similar teritory.
What is so good about Kelli's album is the feeling of an integral performance - a singer working with a group of acoustic musicians. It all comes together in a very effective and powerful way. You won't hear this music in clubs, unless they are very adventurous clubs, but I think this is the sort of music musicians and singers will want to hear and perform in years to come.

If you've bought "Tigermouth" and "Psychic Cat" (shame on you, if you haven't! ;-) - they are excellent albums), then you will be in for a very pleasant and delightful surprise. Ms Kelli Ali has demonstrated, in a very credible and convincing way, that she is a powerful and important Pop artist in our time. I only hope that Ms Ali tours this album as far as Australia, where I am!

Kelli Ali is known for her uniquely sassy and sweet singing voice, but since her brief stardom with Sneaker Pimps her solo career has been pretty directionless, with her great voice wasted on weak synth pop and pseudo-dance. With this quiet and introspective album Kelli has rejected the sounds of her two previous solo albums and adopted an airy acoustic folk muse, finally finding a style that can bring out her greatest vocal talents. The songs here are free of gimmicks and mostly rely on acoustic guitar, woodwinds, and strings, and Kelli's voice is finally in front of the music where it belongs.

The low-key musical accompaniment, not to mention some strong poetic lyrics, result in some truly beautiful and haunting songs like "One Day at a Time," "Rocking Horse," and the album's big winner "Flowers," while there is a real surprise in the wordless vocalizations of "The Kiss." But while Kelli's personal songwriting skills seem to be maturing, there is still some trouble here with execution. More simplistic tracks like "Urique" and "September Sky" never quite get off the ground, and otherwise successful tracks like "Water Under the Bridge" and "What to Do" build some drama but then end abruptly without fulfilling conclusions. Also, while Kelli is singing with great emotion throughout the album, she sacrifices some grit and authority for a general dependence on her higher and more whispery register. It's hard to say if Kelli will settle into the folk groove after some previous musical dead-ends, but this album finally gets her on the right track, with a great display of her most obvious talents. [~doomsdayer520~]

She's one of the few musicians around that I always await anxiously for new material. This album is beautiful. Drawing from sounds and concepts of psychedelica. Truely wonderful and highly enlightening. Her voice is so Incredable and the songwriting so thoughtful and Imaginary. It will bring light into your life.

This is very easy on the ears. I listened while relaxing at home. Such a lovely voice, and the lyrics remind me of times and experiences in my life. I'm enjoying it muchly.

Kelli Ali is a true punk! She does what she wants!
When everyone expected a trip-hop album, she went pop with Tigermouth.
And Psychic Cat shows how spontaneous she is and how she is willing to try different things.

Rocking Horse is my favorite Kelli Ali album. It is an acoustic album mostly, with some flutes and strings. The concept is awesome too - the balance of light and darkness. "Rocking Horse" is a kool, frantic song, very dark.
"Flowers" is a haunting song, and "The Kiss" is kool too.
The whole album is amazing. Just don't expect another electronic album.