Customer Reviews

SoulSkin

5 star:		(5)
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After hearing these guys on NPR a few weeks ago, I felt compelled to buy a copy of their CD. It arrived last Tuesday and I've played it at least 3 times a day over the weekend, and once a day the other days. Mesmerizing. Karen Kraft's voice is amazing, I just want her to keep singing... anything... absolutely anything.

This music is different, original, subtle.......yet inyourface, even haunting. The more you listen, the more you hear - outrageous and gorgeous voice.

Very, very interesting music. This lady hits lower notes than most men I know and has a voice as soulful as any. I was really embarrassed to be caught stereotyping as my biggest surprise came when opening the insert and seeing all the white faces. Easy listening, pleasant sounds, excellent vocals, strong instrumentation. But different, in a good way. A nice addition to an eclectic's collection.

I heard "Soulskin" for the first time on an NPR broadcast & could not get their sound out of my head. Best solution: I bought their CD, and now can listen to their great sounding soul on my sound system, which has better acoustics.

This is Soulskin's debut CD. The quintet members describe themselves as "five virtuoso musicians with absolutely no interest in virtuosity." The tracks include a wide range of music from Mitchell Parish's romantic "Ruby," the joyous pop of "Concrete and Clay," Bettye Jean Crutcher's socially conscious "Drown Yourself," Randy Newman's "Shining," a wonderful tango/caberet kind-of take on "Whatever Lola Wants," and instrumental improvisations like "Siberian Nighttrain," and "Pathos Bill."

Karen Kraft, the group's vocalist, is outright outstanding! Her voice contributes much to all the above cuts, and is at her best in the depression era "Bread and Gravy" by Hoagy Carmichael, and an unbelievably original version of "Town Without Pity."

In the NPR interview, I heard Liane Hanson compare Ms. Kraft to Marlene Deitrich. She has also been likened to a "latter-day Marianne Faithfull, in terms of her emotional impact, charisma, and taste in material, although she possesses a far, far better natural instrument than either chanteuse."

That Soulskin produces haunting music is an understatement, and nowhere have I read words that accurately describe their sound. You just have to listen for your self. Can't recommend this one highly enough!

there are no words suitable to describe this album-the instrumentality or karens voice!! listen to it on a rio blue
cd player or a high end amp with stax headphones--if you listen to "grapefruit moon " while thinking of somebody very dear to you--you WILL cry,and bread and gravy for us depression generat-
ion folks will run chills up your spine!!! love it!love it!love it!!