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When “Three Chances” starts to play, its opening bars deceptively lead us into the belief that Kimberly Morgan York’s main aim in the new album Keep On Goin’ centers on the development of simple harmonies, when in all actuality what this singer/songwriter is looking to construct here is much more impressive on all counts. Between songs like this one, the slower “Your Fool,” and provocative “Fallen,” York is blending influences from country, western, folk, and retro pop in a manner that isn’t just intriguing – it’s downright bewitching. York has a lot of charisma at the microphone, and when she’s got command of every element of this music, it feels like we’re listening to someone who was born to be under the spotlight.
URL: https://kimberlymorganyork.com/
“Another Lover” feels a bit more retrospective than “Kick Us” does, but there’s undeniably a touch of reflection to be found in every one of the songs here. York doesn’t mind looking back when there’s something to be learned from it, and this becomes quite evident in “Another Lover,” which at times feels like the most personal track in the LP.
This singer/songwriter is bold when she needs to be, but I respect her disciplined attitude when it comes to getting something big across to her audience sans the frills too many artists depend on in and outside of the recording studio. Forget the bells and whistles when listening to Keep On Goin’; this record is a clean glass of water that’s equally full-bodied and refreshing even without a sugary soda finish.
“Love Songs” has a spunk that really caught me off guard the first time I listened to it, but it doesn’t overshadow the dramatically minimalist “Numb” by comparison. “Numb” has such a reticent alternative rock identity tucked behind its countrified glow that I can picture it doing good on college radio just as it would the country FM scene, and it’s not very often that a song is able to succeed on both ends like that.
York is a special talent, and whether she’s crooning to simple strings in “Numb” or playing to something more elaborate, like the stomp of the title track in Keep On Goin’, her confidence ensures smooth sailing from one song to the next.
Pop themes continue to make themselves obvious to us in “Ruby” and a stunner of a cover in “Sharing the Night Together,” and by the time the latter has concluded and Keep On Goin’ fades into the silence from which it came just ten songs earlier, arguing over the importance of the material in this LP becomes more or less irrelevant.
What Kimberly Morgan York has going for her as a singer/songwriter is undeniable, and when she’s playing in this record, it feels like we’re listening to the arrival of a true professional who has figured out her artistic place in the universe. There will be more quality content from this player in the future, but for now, York’s Keep On Goin’ is an easy pick for the best alternative country record of the season thus far.
Jennifer Munoz
