"Kesang is an exceptional songwriter. she has a voice that is nothing less than heart-stopping with its clear beauty." - Michael Erlewine, All Music Guide founder
"There's an exotic nature to her songs that goes far beyond just her unusual name."
".music that is beautiful, delicious, effortless and almost floats on air."
- Craig Bonnell, songsillinois.net
Though classified as folk, Kesang Marstrand's debut album, Bodega Rose, both transcends traditional labels and bridges the borders between them. Half driving acoustic jazz tracks and half melancholy story-songs, Bodega Rose is a striking first album, filled with poetic lyrics and not only heartfelt but talented arrangements.
On Rose, Marstrand implements few instruments other than her acoustic guitar, saving piano, gently tapped drums, and a melodica for a few jazzier tracks. Perhaps it's for the best, as this paring-down serves to better showcase her voice. Tinged with bittersweetness, it evokes the smoothness of Eva Cassidy and a brighter Fiona Apple, floating along the top of skillfully-picked guitar melodies.
It comes as a surprise that Bodega Rose is Marstrand's first effort. On the record, she has a poise and unpretentious confidence about her sound that often takes decades to cultivate. Expect to see more from this up-and-comer.
-Rosa Jurjevics, Buzzine
After discovering her passion for music via a piano in the common room of a schoolhouse in Colorado, Kesang Marstrand knew that it would be an inseparable part her life. As a teen, she entertained the hope of one day becoming a classical pianist and composer, but her family's move to New York City while she was in high school prompted her to exchange the piano for the ever-more-mobile acoustic guitar.
Born in Woodstock, New York, to a Danish mother and Tibetan father, the young musician sought out inspiration that was as varied as her cultural background. With artists like David Bowie, Patsy Cline, Ani DiFranco, and classical artists, both Eastern and Western, to guide her, she began to write her own songs and to explore the possibilities her guitar and voice offered her.
Now 27, Marstrand has been writing and performing for the past decade. In November of last year, she released her debut album, "Bodega Rose," a contemplative, acoustic work that includes accompaniment by renowned musician and composer, Karl Berger. The album, in addition to eleven original tracks, also includes a cover song, a sparse, down-tempo version of Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson's collaboration, "Say Say Say."
Marstrand now divides her time between New York City and Seattle, where she continues to create new material…
Her next project will be an album of original lullabies entitled, "Hello Night."
