Kaki King, Dreaming of Revenge (Velour)
Kaki King is so money.
Just watch her perform live. She’ll find some gentle or haunting lick on the guitar, loop it, add a bass part to join it, loop that, and then head to the drum kit and hammer out a rhythm. Band? Why have a band when you can single-handedly win a one-woman a**-kicking contest?
Some of the vibrancy and vitality of her live act was lost in the translation to her 2006 album, … Until We Felt Red. Though it did show the Georgian virtuoso trying to tackle new ground, it showcased her talent but not the pizzazz that makes her a live gem.
After collaborations with Tegan & Sara and Foo Fighters last year, King and Canadian producer Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois) set out to make a catchy, melodic album. After the relative flatness of Red, there’s only hope that Dreaming does King justice.
If I Were Really Rich …
— Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Eleventh Hour (Definitive Jux) — Straight outta Richmond: Del returns with his first full-length solo album since 2000’s underappreciated Both Sides of the Brain.
— Presidents of the United States of America, These Are the Good Times People (Fugitive) — Seattle group’s first record in four years features new guitbassist Andrew McKeag.
— Snoop Dogg, Ego Trippin' (Geffen) — A rap legend and star of the E! show “Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood,” Long Beach legend Snoop Dizzle drops his second album in 16 months.
Others
Alkaline Trio, G******it (Asian Man)
Fat Joe, The Elephant in the Room (Virgin)
Jeff Healey, Mess of Blues (Ruf)
Ill Nino, Enigma (Cement Shoes)
Kelis, The Hits (Jive)
Meshuggah, Obzen (Nuclear Blast)
Shawn Mullins, Honeydew (Vanguard)
Mike Patton, A Perfect Place (Ipecac)
Q-Tip, The Renaissance (Universal Motown)
Rick Ross, Trilla (Def Jam)
Various Artists, Now, Vol. 27 (Sony)
The Vines, The Best of the Vines (Capitol)
White Lion, Return of the Pride (Frontiers/King)
Why?, Alopecia (anticon.)
Comments