Kim Char Meredith
Give And Take
Passionate Women
There must be something in the way the stars are aligning right now, because these past few weeks I’ve had probably half a dozen CDs by amazing female singer/songwriters arrive in my mailbox. One of these CDs is Give And Take from Hawaii-based artist Kim Char Meredith. I had never heard of Meredith before getting this disc, but apparently she has six other self-released CDs to her credit. Her depth of experience and professionalism definitely show on this immaculately produced CD full of truly heartfelt songwriting that is extremely personal, yet universally compelling. Mostly she writes and sings about relationships, which is nothing new, of course. What makes Give And Take different, and so special, is this artist’s willingness to explore a myriad of intriguing interpersonal scenarios – between family members (“Mystery of You”), friends, lovers (the sexy “Take Me On The Road”) and relationships of a spiritual nature that reflect a perspective of both personal and universal resonance. That aside, the woman plays a mean acoustic guitar, and can sing her ass off.
Kim has a very unique passionate, soulful, soaring voice that can’t be compared to anyone else in contemporary music. It’s probably a safe bet that fans of Shania Twain would be attracted to her pop/country-folk sound, but really, she’s miles ahead of a “manufactured” diva like Twain. Give And Take begins very powerfully with “You Want In,” an earnestly delivered song with a country feel, about the challenge of staying vulnerable and emotionally open after being hurt one too many times. The triumphant love anthem “Sunrise to Sunrise” follows, and it just gets better over each of the album’s ten songs. I especially love the simply gorgeous “Language of My Love” – showcasing the flamenco-style guitar playing of Derrick Lee – which recalls Al Stewart’s “Year Of The Cat.” Kim Char Meredith holds nothing back. Give And Take features an excellent back up band with a variety of instrumentations that suit each song’s arrangement perfectly. Kim Char Meredith’s Give And Take is a fantastic album that’s well worth checking out. You will definitely be pleasantly surprised.
Kim Char Meredith: http://www.kimchar.com/
