Until We Felt Red (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Kaki King (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, baritone guitar, accordion, piano, harmonium, bass synthesizer, vibraphone, drums, bass drum, shaker, percussion, bells); Kaki King; John McEntire (dulcimer, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer, vibraphone, drums); Katie Cassidy (harp); Frederick Lonberg-Holm (cello); Dan Brantigan (flugelhorn); Daniel Mintzer (drums).

Audio Mixer: John McEntire.

For her third studio outing, UNTIL WE FELT RED, singer-guitarist Kaki King returned to Velour Records after a brief stint on Epic. Clearly the indie-label setting suits this adventurous performer well, as the inventive songs on the album indicate, with King enhancing her delicate voice and lauded six-string acoustic playing with spacious arrangements created, in part, by producer/kindred spirit John McEntire (Tortoise). Highlights of UNTIL WE FELT RED include the light, lilting "Yellowcake" and the gradually unfolding, utterly mesmerizing "You Don't Have to Be Afraid." While King's aesthetic seemed slightly unformed on past outings, this record places her squarely in the esteemed company of eccentric folk-leaning artists such as Joanna Newsom and Hanne Hukkelberg, where she seems quite comfortable. minimize