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Kingen
Ride With Me
(Black Cat Songs/Fargfabriken)
Kingen is a lake between Sweden and Norway, and it is also the name a certain T. Karlsson has been using for some time. Just not quite as long a time as the sound of his songs might make it seem.
These pieces have the feel of 1950s American r&b and the 60s British invasion redux. There are a few modern improvements (the drum machine on "She's Mine" explodes the song right out of the speakers), but the influences are nice and weathered.
Kingen himself is of indeterminate age. Someone on the web said they'd seen Kingen more than 10 years ago, and his photos put him somewhere between 30 and 50. Doesn't really matter, though. These songs take old school rock and roll and very subtly bring the sound into modern times. Nothing contrived; just solid writing and exuberant playing.
Some folks might liken this to Amy Winehouse and the other Brit replicators. But Kingen's influences are much more wide-ranging, and he's much too interested in the music to insert himself above it. Maybe he's the Swedish Nick Lowe, which wouldn't be a bad thing at all. |
