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OPEN HORIZON (2010), the first full-length album by up-and-coming singer-songwriter KAYA FRASER, is a well crafted, intimate collection of songs with atmosphere and hookiness in equal measure. The smart lyrics and catchy melodies will stick with you, and the sultry voice that sings them will keep you coming back for another listen. "These are the stupid things we do / These are the selfish things we do / These are the cruel things we do in the name of love"--this is how the opening track ends, introducing an album that unflinchingly examines the many moods of romantic love. One song is about bitterly clear-eyed retrospect, post break-up, while another is about the simple joy of arriving home to a lover. In the background is the Canadian landscape; as it is to Joni Mitchell, Kaya's home country is a source of inspiration. But it's the geography of human relationships--sometimes tender, sometimes tough--that is the focus of this mature, compelling album.
Kaya comes by her talent honestly: her father is Allan Fraser, of the 70s folk duo Fraser & DeBolt, whose two albums released on Columbia Records have a cult following for their enigmatic songwriting and powerful performance. Her mother, Donna Louthood, is also an accomplished vocalist and visual artist. Through her parents, Kaya was introduced to KIM DESCHAMPS, who heard Kaya's 2007 EP, TREMOR AND SLIP, and expressed interest in producing her next effort. Knowing Deschamps's impressive track record (he was a member of both The Cowboy Junkies and Blue Rodeo, and played pedal steel on both bands' most critically acclaimed albums) Kaya enthusiastically accepted, and the wheels started moving towards Open Horizon.
The songs were mostly written in 2008, while Kaya was touring her first record. As a result, many of them deal with travel: the coming-and-going rhythm of being on the road is an extended metaphor for the changes that happen to love affairs. But not all the songs are about love. One tune, called "Shameless," has to do with working as an independent musician. It's a kind of mission statement for the type of career Kaya is pursuing: she is ready for the challenges of staying true to her own artistic vision. That vision demanded that this album be done right: it took two years to achieve that, with the help of a major recording grant from FACTOR, and a producer who understood the goal and knew how to get there. The results speak for themselves. Drummer Al Cross and upright-bass player Paul Intson, along with Deschamps on various guitars, form the small, tight backing band: the feel is rootsy and live, the playing polished and sensitive. Tracked at Jukasa Studios, a new, world-class recording facility south of Hamilton, Ontario, no corners were cut in the making of this record. In an age of hasty, basement-recorded albums, which sometimes pass off sloppiness for indie authenticity, this carefully made music will stand out.
Tremor and Slip startled critics with its "killer" songs that were so good that they "only need[ed] to be discovered." In May of 2008, it peaked at 3 on the iTunes charts in its genre in France, and received healthy airplay on CBC and on the college radio playlists. Even Ron Sexsmith, one of Canada's best songwriters, recognized the promise in Kaya's "lovely voice and natural songwriting." Open Horizon is the poised answer to that promise. Listen to it carefully and let the songs inhabit you. It will reward your attention.
ABOUT "TREMOR AND SLIP" (2007):
[Listed as one of the best folk/roots albums of 2008] - The Ottawa Citizen
"Tremor and Slip is Kaya Fraser's debut recording. Return to that sentence after you've listened to the CD (and you must listen to the CD) and read it again until it sinks in." -Bess Hamilton, ARTSCAPE MAGAZINE
"Fraser's voice is warm and engaging, displaying the sexiness of Carlene Carter with a bit of the world weariness of Lucinda Williams in her delivery. The songs are killer . Fraser is an exciting new voice that deserves a listen." -Dave Clarke, SCENE
"It's a lovely piece of work, beautifully recorded at Hyde Park's Willyboy Studios [in London, Ontario]." -John Sharpe, SCENE
"This London, Ont., based artist distinguishes herself from the school of singer-songwriters matriculated by Joni Mitchell with jazz-inflected phrasing that allows her to navigate this waltz-time rumination with admirable agility." -John Sakamoto, THE TORONTO STAR
"Tremor and Slip stops at seven songs so she calls it an EP. Maybe that is one reason it sounds so rounded & realized. No songs and moments she wasn't absolutely sure about." -James Reaney, THE LONDON FREE PRESS
"Here's a great example of a diamond in the rough, and not so rough at that. . [Fraser's] voice is mature and seductive, and these rootsy gems are yearning to be heard. Elements of country, soul, and sultry acoustic pop are combined with sophistication and polish. Fraser's moving songs don't really need anything more, except to be discovered. [Four stars]" -T'Cha Dunlevy, THE MONTREAL GAZETTE
"Fraser applies her love of language to intelligent folk-pop which she expresses through sultry vocals that bring to mind Leslie Feist." -Robert Reid, THE RECORD
"Fraser's independently released seven-song EP Tremor and Slip is shockingly good. Her voice is intimate, arresting and mature; the songs are moving; and production is polished enough to sound professional without sacrificing authenticity. For quick reference, think Joni Mitchell or Sarah McLachlan. At such an early stage in her career, Fraser has the potential to one day hover in their midst." -T'Cha Dunlevy, THE MONTREAL GAZETTE
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