I bought a CD EP by a Seattle-via-Arizona band called Best Kissers in the World in 1991. The price was right and I liked the band name, plus it was on the Sub Pop label, so that was about all it took. I got hooked on the catchy melodies of the 5 songs, and became a fan of the band’s sweet-but-heavy approach instantly. Keeping track of BKITW was never easy – they jumped to a major label for another EP and eventually a full-length, but it seems like they were being promoted via channels I wasn’t juiced into – and the Internet wasn’t much help with stuff like this in the mid-90’s. I was always a little behind, but eager to catch up. And I always did.
The group disbanded after their sophomore album, which got as far as being recorded and distributed as a promo to record stores, never saw a proper release. Shortly after this, lead Kisser Gerald Collier went solo, dropping the pop-fuzz romance and picking up the acoustic heartbreak right where he left off.
Collier’s voice and lyrics work well in both arenas, but with quieter, starker arrangements, the slight grit in his inimitable delivery gave off a whole new vibe – a new breed of unrequited love and deep sentiments that hit harder than before. The Kissers were never lucky in love either, but they were rarely somber. Collier on his own is more raw, honest, and to the point, and it makes for some really affecting music that toes the line between alt-country and troubadour folk, with a focus on lyricism to make you ache.
We don’t have all of Gerald’s solo albums at CD Baby, but we’ve got a bunch. Here they are:
Collier’s first solo album is spare instrumentally but thick with feeling, the lyrics painting pictures of a man who’s destined to go it alone, but is fighting like hell not to.
This 5-song EP adds more country to the mix via an expanded band and most notably, the addition of pedal steel.
Collier’s got so many songs he can even dig up an album he forgot to release. Features the wonderfully titled “If My Heart Had An Ass, I’d Kick It For Lovin’ You.”
This digital-only EP features even more unreleased gems from Collier’s catalog.
Collier’s triumphant 2007 return is a headphone-worthy culmination of his alt-country songwriting, a 12-song collection that leaves it all on the table. A great place to familiarize yourself with the man’s work.
See what Gerald is up to these days on facebook, and if you’ve got time, check out this full performance at KEXP a few years back.
a few years back.
The post Brad’s Picks: Gerald Collier – The Best Kisser in the World at his lovelorn best appeared first on Discover Music.
