Album Review: ‘Whiskey & Lace’ – Krystal Keith
10 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Album Review: ‘Whiskey & Lace’ – Krystal Keith
Whiskey & Lace – Krystal Keith (Show Dog-Universal, 2013)
It takes a certain amount of courage to pursue a music career when you run the risk of merely being seen as “daughter of…”. Sure, Krystal Keith might not have had to shop around for a record deal and releases her debut album on dad Toby Keith‘s label, but having taken in this confident collection there is no doubt that Krystal is an artist and songwriter who stands on her own two feet. Let the rocking title track bare witness to this!
The four songs that made up her debut EP start off the album. The strength of these is confirmed when a dip comes in the form of fifth track, ‘Cabo San Lucas.’ Not a bad song by any means, but it doesn’t quite stand up to the foursome which introduced Krystal to country fans in April. Another slight miss is ‘Get Your Redneck On.’ By that point in the record, she has already shown her depth and this milder version of ‘Here for the Party’ doesn’t quite translate and feels too shallow. It’s also a little surprising to me that this song was selected as the radio single, given that it is the track most likely to enure that listeners will start making a comparison with her dad’s material.
‘Him and His Tattoo’ gets things back on track with a hint of blues rock, a influence heard even more on ‘Down into Muddy Water,’ a true standout. On the fragile ‘Beautiful Weakness,’ Keith lets her voice lilt and swerve as she explores her vocal range.
Krystal’s vocal performance is consistently good. She sings the melodies and interprets the lyrics, rather than always reaching for the power notes.
With Whiskey & Lace, Krystal Keith seems to have made exactly the album she wanted to make, with little concessions to the current music trends. Much of the credit for this goes to co-producers Mark Wright and Toby Keith, who eschewed the big-sounding production so popular these days. The mixes also place Krystal’s voice at the center. With a considerable dynamic range, the quieter parts are allowed to indeed be quieter, a rarity these days and a welcome treatment of these stylish country arrangements.
Whiskey & Lace will hit stores on December 10, 2013.
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Latest posts by Liv Carter (see all)
- Well yes, racism, but it’s more complicated - February 13, 2017
- Black River Entertainment had a great reason to party! - October 25, 2016
- Keith Urban returns to the States for US arena leg of his “ripCORD WORLD TOUR 2016” - October 10, 2016
