Kirsten Thein: Two Sides
Kirsten Thein
Two Sides
(Screen Door records)
Many an artist has delved into the concept of duality to further explore the contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something, i.e... light and dark, love and hate, right and wrong or what is reality vs what it could have been. New York City based singer songwriter Kirsten Thein titled her new album Two Sides after discovering the songs she had been working on fit into this premise and so she assembled them into two sides akin to the A and B sides of an old time 45 rpm record. The eight new tracks on her fifth solo release showcases many sides of the accomplish performer as she move easily from Rock to Blues to Gospel and Soul with her throaty alto as well as her skills on acoustic and recently acquired electric guitar. Well known for her provocative solo shows, the album has Thien firmly placed as a band leader in front of an ensemble that includes her long time partner in crime bassist and producer Erik Boyd and drummers Alex Alexander and Steve Holley, guitarist Arthur Neilson with Tony Mandel on keys and some very special guests Raul Midon, Doug McLeod and vocalists Tarriona Ball and Anjelika Joseph, aka "Tank and Jelly" from New Orleans. The sessions for the album took place of several month, with the final mixes completed during the darkest months of the NYC pandemic lockdown backed by the soundtrack of sirens. The lyrics speak to the current moment despite having been completed, in most cases, years ago, as is the gift of second sight given to many an artist willing to be receptive to the muse.
Thien boldly declares her sense of purpose on the acoustic driven Roots Rock opener “Shoulda Been,” shrugging off any notion of not meeting anyone’s expectations by being the strong woman she is, punctuating her point with sharp slide guitar stabs. Next, she implores us to embrace the power of positive thinking on the easy swinging “Sweet Lost and Found,’ backed by “Tank and Jelly” in the choir. The Bump and grind Blues “After I Left Home,” plays out as a mini soundtrack for the memoir When I Left Home from Buddy Guy whom Thein credits for the inspiration and subsequent dedication to one of her real life mentors and hero, with Neilson stepping in for the Chicago Bluesman for a sound alike guitar solo. A playful Bo Diddley beat from Alexander fuels the feel good anthem “Say It Out Loud,” and Thein trades guitar solo with Neilson on the gritty Blues Rocker “I Got A Man,” as her seductive vocals speak of yearning in her restless heart. The collaboration with Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Mexico, Raul Midón, lead Thein to push herself further as an artist. She sings in Spanish for the first time on the lovely flamenco ballad Montañas that features fine piano work from Fabian Almazan and authentic rhythms to accompany her enchanting vocals. The legendary Doug MacLeod sits in on Resonator Guitar for the Delta Blues sermon “Better Or You're Gonna Get Burned,” with Nashville ace studio drummer Wes Little dropping in a Hill Country Blues parade march, propelling the much needed message forward. Thein and company join the long list of artists who have covered the Leon Russel Soul Blues classic first recorded by Freddie King in 1972 “I'd Rather Be Blind,” proving yet again that power of love is a universal theme that knows no color or boundaries. In the singles driven era of the music biz at hand, Kirsten Thein challenges us to listen to the whole of Two Sides like the vinyl LPs of yesteryear so we may enjoy the parts of the strong release with equal measure. To use an old adage, there may be two sides, but there is only one coin.