'Blood Test' is Kris Delmhorst's seventh album, and the first one of new material in some six years. Between the release of 2008's 'Shotgun Singer' and now, her life has taken on a different perspective, following the birth of a daughter. As Kris herself states that although this fact doesn't run throughout the theme of her lyrics on this album, “it is an inescapable ingredient of where I'm writing from”.
For those not familiar with Kris, she is an American singer/songwriter originally from Brooklyn, New York, but now living in Western Massachusetts. Her musical style falls somewhere within the Americana genre. There are twelve tracks on the album, with Kris taking on vocals, guitar and piano, ably backed by Anders Parker, and Mark Spencer who variously alternate between guitars, bass, while Mark also uses vibraphone, organ, and pedal steel. Konrad Meissner deals with drums and percussion throughout.
The album opens with the title track, 'Blood Test', a country style song that starts things off smoothly, with the pedal steel adding a nice twist. Kris's vocals are great on this, really clear and upbeat, with lyrics which appear to hint at changes to come, whilst looking back nostalgically: - “Remember how it used to be? Nothing on the radio and nothing on TV/ Just us and all those hours. The humming roads, the singing stars/ We could listen in, we could drown it out...It's a blood test, tell me are you real, it's a blood test show me how you feel”.
When talking about the album, Kris says that she was “focussed on paring things down to their elements, less flesh, more bone”. What this actually means is that as far as possible there are few overdubs, and it is just the four band members in the studio, and any imperfections were “part of the story”.
|
'Homeless' is a track that seems stripped back, guitar, bass, piano and drums, with Kris's voice well out in front. Homeless in this case, lyrically, takes on a wider meaning of inability to set down roots rather than discussing specific issues of homelessness: - “ Do you know that you're homeless, Do you know that you're lonely?/ Do you know that you're only passing through?”
It's not all slow and atmospheric though, the track 'Temporary Sun' is a country rock song that just bounces along, bright and clear, with vocals that sound as if bordering on joyfulness: -
“If you want to shout it, go and get it off your chest/ You were right about it, let's be wrong about the rest/ You say you were waiting for the right one/ Don't need the light of a temporary sun”.
Overall, this is a really likeable album, and one that shows a great return to form. The six years have been a long wait until 'Blood Test', but it's certainly been worth it.
|
