First Listen: Kimbra, ‘Vows’
My name is Randall Gross and I’m a popaholic.
For Kimbra, the road to U.S. stardom began with a verse. The young New Zealander lends the huge-voiced female counterpoint to Gotye’s ubiquitous hit “Somebody That I Used to Know,” which has essentially opened a wormhole to fame for both singers. Gotye and Kimbra have toured together as their song keeps topping charts worldwide, and that’s only helped generate interest in the latter’s full-length U.S. debut, Vows.
The album, out here on May 22, is a simultaneously booming and spangly concoction — a huge, brash showcase for Kimbra’s voice, which soars, squeals and coos over whiz-bang arrangements that fuse modern pop, old-school soul and slick R&B. Kimbra herself dominates the lively production with the assertive and elastic voice of a born belter, whether she’s feeding the supercharged Motown vibe of “Cameo Lover” or the slow, sinister seethe of “Plain Gold Ring.”