O Seasons O Castles

O Seasons O Castles

O Seasons O Castles

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
On her debut album, "O Seasons O Castles," Katell Keineg largely abandons her Celtic roots for a generic art folk rock which substitutes enigmatic abstractions, glacial harmonic progressions and whispery moaning for the hard work of real songwriting and real singing. The album takes its title from an Arthur Rimbaud poem, but instead of Rimbaud's vivid, precise imagery, Keineg offers up vague lyrics. Instead of coming up with clear-cut, memorable melodies, Keineg, who wrote all but one of the 14 songs, is content to slide her voice around common chord changes. Here and there, she gives brief glimpses of what may well be a powerful, rich voice, but for most of the album, she sings at half strength in a breathy mumble perhaps meant to suggest mystery and intimacy. In the end, "O Seasons O Castles" is all smoke and no fire. --Geoffrey Himes

O Seasons O Castles,Katell Keineg,Elektra / Wea,Int'l & World Music,Pop,Popular Music,Rock
O Seasons O Castles
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Literate Lyrics and an Astounding Voice
  • Irksome at times.
  • Exquisite grace from a beautiful artist! Ole!
  • A trule great CD
  • Better Than The Rest
 O Seasons O Castles
Katell Keineg
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Jet
  2. High July
  3. What's the Only Thing Worse Than the End of Time?
  4. Jet
  5. Love in the Time of Science

ASIN: B000002HFR
Release Date: 1994-08-16

Tracks:

  1. Hestia
  2. Partisan
  3. Cut
  4. Bop
  5. Burden
  6. Franklin
  7. Conch Shell
  8. Coolea
  9. Destiny's Darling
  10. Waiting For You To Smile
  11. Paris
  12. O Seasons
  13. O Iesu Mawr
  14. The Gulf Of Araby

Amazon.com

On her debut album, "O Seasons O Castles," Katell Keineg largely abandons her Celtic roots for a generic art folk rock which substitutes enigmatic abstractions, glacial harmonic progressions and whispery moaning for the hard work of real songwriting and real singing. The album takes its title from an Arthur Rimbaud poem, but instead of Rimbaud's vivid, precise imagery, Keineg offers up vague lyrics. Instead of coming up with clear-cut, memorable melodies, Keineg, who wrote all but one of the 14 songs, is content to slide her voice around common chord changes. Here and there, she gives brief glimpses of what may well be a powerful, rich voice, but for most of the album, she sings at half strength in a breathy mumble perhaps meant to suggest mystery and intimacy. In the end, "O Seasons O Castles" is all smoke and no fire. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Literate Lyrics and an Astounding Voice.......2004-12-20

If you aren't familiar with Katell Keineg, but you like women with amazing voices and incredible song-writing abilities, you should become familiar with Katell Keineg. Helps if you like blues. Helps if you like jazz. Helps if you like strong, smoky voices that can hiss, growl, scream and croon.

Of her three albums, this one remains my favorite, possibly because it blew me away back when it was first released. It still blows me away.

2 out of 5 stars Irksome at times........2004-08-25

I'm not saying that Katell isn't a talented artist, that she is not original, this album is simply not that accessible - partly due to its weirdness. If one wants to hear spoken sections on an album, that's OK, and yes, it's atmospheric, but I personally prefer to listen to MUSIC instead. The song "O seasons", "Partisan" and "Franklin" are stunning indeed but the rest is sometimes way too jazzy or simply irritating for me (Katell's vioce is at times even frightening - while listening to "Burden" one can really FEEL THE BURDEN of the act of listening to such a song). Overall, this purchase was a great disappointment, because I really thought it was gonna be something at least as good as Natalie Merchant. (And yes, though I've not listened to the Natalie's version of "Gulf of Araby", I'm sure she's done it better.)

5 out of 5 stars Exquisite grace from a beautiful artist! Ole!.......2003-12-16

Katell is in a KATegory all her own and TELLS it all with great sincerity, depth, and with something more seriously lacking among her musical peers: a lack of compromise. She's not art-chic because she's cooler than that and she's not a folk singer because she's more sonically mature than that. If you had to force a musical sibling on her, it would probably be close to the MOOD of Belle & Sebastian.

She used to swap nights with Jeff Buckley down at Sin-e, both offering up exquisite and FREE shows to lucky New Yorkers. They were signed at the same time and with equal zeal by their respective labels. Katell, being a modern-day Joni Mitchell but with a warm fireplace of a voice that can rise to a full roar, was less in-step with the trends of harder-edged and angrier music of the times. But that's exactly why you'd want to pick up this record, and any of her recordings. She will be like Nina Simone, heard when she is 70, ignored by many but known to be the Geniune Article by those who know what they're hearing without a magazine telling them so.

5 out of 5 stars A trule great CD.......2003-03-23

Katell Keineg is the greatest secret in popular music. An amazing voice and excellent song writing make for an album as teriffic as it is obscure. She is a major talent. Do yourself a favor and check her out.

5 out of 5 stars Better Than The Rest.......2002-09-11

I rated this album and was recommended singers like Norah JOnes and Dido. Puh-leeeeze. KAtell Keineg is nothing like those singers. For a start, she's actually talented, a brilliant songwriter and an amazing lyricist. Her songs are like wonderful poems or short stories, each one tells a story that is both personal and universal. The language she uses is just mesmerisingly beautiful. I love this album and her second, Jet, and am just sorry she hasn't made any more. I think KK is better than any other female singer/songwriter out there -- even my other faves, Tori Amos, Kate Bush and Joan Osborne pale in comparison. But don't even think of puttingher in the same category as Jones or Dido. Those singers have more in common with Diana Krall than KK.

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  7. Singing on Streets of Gold
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