Kah

"More Than Dawn" (Album, 2010) !DSO Recommended!

Joy Lane Music

An album so good, we almost had to come up with a new award, Album of the Month, just to cope with its wonderfulness. But decided that was just getting a bit too carried away.

Applying a musical education that includes touring Eastern Europe with classical choirs and singing jazz standards in dark bars up and down the UK, Kah is a Kent born, London based singer songwriting and producer and a thrilling new talent who must surely be destined for great things. Writing all the melodies, lyrics, beats and singing all the vocals, she uses a combination of a Macbook, a mike, a keyboard, Logic Pro and Absynth (the music software rather than the drink) to create her remarkable music. Everything is written and recorded in her bedroom and then mixed at Church Road Studios in Brighton with Paul Pascoe.

The result is a brilliantly inventive, surprising, rewarding and joyful debut. Occasional world-music influences seep into the overriding relaxed electronic mood, and there's a startling elegance and clarity in spite of the sometimes intricate construction and song crafting. Kah's often childlike voice, blending poetry and electronica, is showcased beautifully on Goose Girl - the first single from the album. There's also something of the trip hoppiness of Sneaker Pimps merging with the downtempo retro of Broadcast in here. Whilst the shimmering, uplifting loveliness of tracks like July Song supply an emotional boost of positive endorphins.

The only major caveat at present is that the vocal tweeness threatens to overwhelm you after a while. Fortunately, Kah realises not to overdo that aspect and switches the style, and songs like Big City Miracle (where the different approach is as successful as elsewhere) indicate there's no physical reason to limit the vocal range so much going forward. You can sense the rigour and intellect of classical music training combined mixed in with honestly laid bare electronica - it's a sublime and potently rich field that is all too little explored and Kah goes a long way to establishing a manifesto and blueprint for the genre that's likely to inspire and intimidate other artists in equal measure.

It isn't flawless but it is about as impressive a debut as anyone could reasonably ask for. Our biggest tip in years for mainstream success - place those bets now! 8/10

Rob Dyer (March 2010)