Scripps News,
Review
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If she's going to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter, Kami Thompson will simply have to endure comparisons to her famous parents, Richard and Linda Thompson, as well as her brother, Teddy Thompson.
Here's the good news for her: She proves to be the most interesting singer of the four right out of the gate with her debut, "Love Lies."
Her husky pipes carry all the qualities of a rich voice -- sobriety, self-assuredness, sensuality, sullenness. She benefits from an inherent implication of soul, even when she sings with monochromatic detachment, a trick she often employs without obvious reason, making "Love Lies" both evocative and puzzling ... and relentlessly intriguing.
The context is also a curiosity, with the English performer often fronting quasi-Americana arrangements ("Love Lies" was recorded in New York) mixed with timeless British folk. But given her vocals, she would seem better suited for a more electric sound, perhaps heavy rock or off-kilter blues (she could conceivably hone herself as the next Fiona Apple, Adele or Polly Jean Harvey).
Still, there's eccentric tension in the air, from the piano-based slow waltz of the mournful "Never Again" to the fiery wails of "4,000 Miles."
On the downside, Thompson isn't a reliable lyricist. She scores with the offbeat "Nice Cars," yet many of her relationship-obsessed themes are beyond banal, reflecting the maturity of a moody teen.
Regardless of how she frustrates, however, Thompson keeps her audience guessing. 03/02/12
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