22 Nov 2024
Kimbra - Rock Steady/Wanna Be Startin' Something Single Review
05 May 2014 // A review by Kate Taylor
Oooh girl! This is the epitome of every getting dressed up, dolled up, laced up, heeled up 'get ready' session with your gal pals before a huge night out of being fierce and fabulous. A chance meeting between the wondrous Janelle Monae and our very own versatile songstress extraordinaire Kimbra has lead to this most delightful and uplifting jazz and soul funk collab. Pumped full of energy; Monae kicks off the double-cover with Rock Steady; jazzily ad libbing, playing off Kimbra as their duo of voices trade line for line, each accented with unbridled enthusiasm.
A dip in the melody uncovers a sublime rendition of Wanna Be Startin' Something, with the opportunity for even more camaraderie between Monae and Kimbra in their jibs of 'girl, you've really started something'... by this stage, you're really wishing you'd been invited along to the recording party that these two are so clearly having; skillful backed by a joyous melding of their existing band members into a warm splash of horns, brass and bass. Their lusciously raucous voices are so complimentary and most of all fun, fun, fun! Infectious smiles are guaranteed; and I now, like almost everyone else would LOVE to see them work their magic together on their The Golden Electric Tour stop in Auckland on May 24th at Vector Arena.
About Kimbra
This is just the latest chapter in a series of Kimbra’s overall career success: the experimental pop performer’s 2011 debut, Vows, bowed at No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified platinum in Australia and New Zealand. She received Best Female Artist two years in a row at the ARIA Music Awards and took home 5 New Zealand Tui Awards including Album of The Year in 2012. That same year, she exploded into the public consciousness with Somebody That I Used To Know, a duet with Gotye that earned her two Grammy Awards for 'Record of the Year' and 'Best Pop Duo/Group Performance', as well as reaching No. 1 on global charts (across 18 countries) and selling more than 13 million copies.
Her 2014 sophomore record, The Golden Echo, highlighted her eclectic style with a diverse set of collaborations from Thundercat, Omar-Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta, Bilal, and John Legend. Likewise, her third LP, 2018’s Primal Heart, saw her touring with the likes of Beck, Odesza and David Byrne. Kimbra has performed on TV shows such as Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Last Call with Carson Daly, Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Seth Meyers, as well as performing at festivals such as Coachella, Austin City Limits and more.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Kimbra
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