Thursday, December 14, 2006

CD Review: Karen Naomi’s blind

By Kaitlin Parker

Based solely on her album cover, I want to like Karen Naomi. A refreshingly real picture of the artist graces the front of Naomi’s 2005 release, blind: dark hair down barely brushing her guitar, delicate fingers and blooming flowers make me hope for an artfulness in her music to match the black and white photograph.

In some ways, the tunes deliver. Naomi’s voice is smoky and smooth. The tracks, engineered and mixed at Deep Ellum Studios, are of professional quality. blind is a pleasant listen. Naomi dishes out standard Lilith Fair fare, minus the (not so) subliminal messages of female world domination. There is nothing on the album remotely offensive.

And that’s the problem.

Naomi’s songs lack an edge. Just looking at the track titles--"blind," "bitterness remains," and "frustration," among others--one would think Naomi has some serious angst. She doesn’t. When Naomi sings that she is "filled with disbelief and grief," I remain skeptical of her supposed incredulity. I find it hard to believe real bitterness in canned lyrics like, "easier said than done, I thought you were the one."

Perhaps the truth is that life ultimately boils down to one giant cliché. Maybe in a pathetic attempt at rebellion, I find myself drawn to music that if not refuting this notion, at least doesn’t directly support the idea. Sadly, Naomi takes no risks, traversing topics and troubles that others conquered eons before, with no sense of ownership. She neglects to make the problems her own or give them a personality.

This is a real disappointment because Naomi’s voice is strong. I would like to hear more of her and less of the humdrum, soft pop/folk/rock instrumentals backing her up. The beginning of "the other me" offers a glimpse of this greater possibility.

Congenial, but not catchy, Naomi’s songs would not sound out of place in a coffee shop. The album could serve as an unobtrusive backdrop to a mocha-fueled conversation debating the existence of an innate calling to a greater purpose. Just don’t expect blind to open any eyes.

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