Customer Reviews

O Seasons O Castles

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this album because of Keineg's association with Natalie Merchant (Carnival and The Gulf of Araby). Like my favorite Maniacs songs, the tracks on O Seasons O Castles require time to grow on the listener. At first, Katell's voice is a bit unsettling, somewhat androgynous. Over time, though, her voice becomes more appealing: one admires her vocal rawness and her lyrical virtuousity. Her words are as memorable as her voice. As with any album, some tracks are more memorable than others. I love the opening song, Hestia: it sets the tone for the whole album. The last five tracks begin with a poem, Waiting for You to Smile, which is as rich in imagery as Dylan Thomas's poems, and ends with the simple, passionate, powerful masterpiece, The Gulf of Araby. Give Katell Keineg a chance, and you will be rewarded.

I rated this album and was recommended singers like Norah JOnes and Dido. Puh-leeeeze. KAtell Keineg is nothing like those singers. For a start, she's actually talented, a brilliant songwriter and an amazing lyricist. Her songs are like wonderful poems or short stories, each one tells a story that is both personal and universal. The language she uses is just mesmerisingly beautiful. I love this album and her second, Jet, and am just sorry she hasn't made any more. I think KK is better than any other female singer/songwriter out there -- even my other faves, Tori Amos, Kate Bush and Joan Osborne pale in comparison. But don't even think of puttingher in the same category as Jones or Dido. Those singers have more in common with Diana Krall than KK.

This CD is great, and I am no easy critic. Sure, the lyrics may be incredibly vague at points but it's really a well done and beautiful CD. My favorites are Franklin and Gulf of Araby.

If you aren't familiar with Katell Keineg, but you like women with amazing voices and incredible song-writing abilities, you should become familiar with Katell Keineg. Helps if you like blues. Helps if you like jazz. Helps if you like strong, smoky voices that can hiss, growl, scream and croon.

Of her three albums, this one remains my favorite, possibly because it blew me away back when it was first released. It still blows me away.

Katell is in a KATegory all her own and TELLS it all with great sincerity, depth, and with something more seriously lacking among her musical peers: a lack of compromise. She's not art-chic because she's cooler than that and she's not a folk singer because she's more sonically mature than that. If you had to force a musical sibling on her, it would probably be close to the MOOD of Belle & Sebastian.

She used to swap nights with Jeff Buckley down at Sin-e, both offering up exquisite and FREE shows to lucky New Yorkers. They were signed at the same time and with equal zeal by their respective labels. Katell, being a modern-day Joni Mitchell but with a warm fireplace of a voice that can rise to a full roar, was less in-step with the trends of harder-edged and angrier music of the times. But that's exactly why you'd want to pick up this record, and any of her recordings. She will be like Nina Simone, heard when she is 70, ignored by many but known to be the Geniune Article by those who know what they're hearing without a magazine telling them so.

Anyone with an ear for good music should pick up this CD. I'm going to try not to ramble on about how fantastic this CD is. What I will say is that this is one CD that has never really left my CD player. Yes, it's that good, and I hope everyone gives it a chance. She has a fantastic voice, and lyrically she is the best as far as I'm concerned. This is a tremendous debut album, and it's simply wonderful.

Katell also has an album called "Jet," which is just as good, only a bit more complicated lyrically. I think her first CD is much easier to absorb. Not that "Jet" is too complex, instead it's much more mysterious.

Anyhow, please give this CD a chance; I'm sure you won't regret it. -Victor

I bought this album because of Keineg's association with Natalie Merchant (Carnival and The Gulf of Araby). Like my favorite Maniacs songs, the tracks on O Seasons O Castles require time to grow on the listener. At first, Katell's voice is a bit unsettling, somewhat androgynous. Over time, though, her voice becomes more appealing: one admires her vocal rawness and her lyrical virtuousity. Her words are as memorable as her voice. As with any album, some tracks are more memorable than others. I love the opening song, Hestia: it sets the tone for the whole album. The last five tracks begin with a poem, Waiting for You to Smile, which is as rich in imagery as Dylan Thomas's poems, and ends with the simple, passionate, powerful masterpiece, The Gulf of Araby. Give Katell Keineg a chance, and you will be rewarded.

Some of her lyrics may be "enigmatic abstractions" according to Amazon Editorial Reviewer Geoffrey Himes, but what, were all of Dylan's totally concrete? She also can put out lyrics that are incredibly specific and blunt - they would never, ever, play some of these songs on AM radio - but I guess Mr. Himes didn't hear those.

If you enjoy eclectic, bravura musicality, whether the Doors or Jaco Pastorius or Phish, check out this CD.

Katell Keineg is the greatest secret in popular music. An amazing voice and excellent song writing make for an album as teriffic as it is obscure. She is a major talent. Do yourself a favor and check her out.

I'm not saying that Katell isn't a talented artist, that she is not original, this album is simply not that accessible - partly due to its weirdness. If one wants to hear spoken sections on an album, that's OK, and yes, it's atmospheric, but I personally prefer to listen to MUSIC instead. The song "O seasons", "Partisan" and "Franklin" are stunning indeed but the rest is sometimes way too jazzy or simply irritating for me (Katell's vioce is at times even frightening - while listening to "Burden" one can really FEEL THE BURDEN of the act of listening to such a song). Overall, this purchase was a great disappointment, because I really thought it was gonna be something at least as good as Natalie Merchant. (And yes, though I've not listened to the Natalie's version of "Gulf of Araby", I'm sure she's done it better.)