Karima Francis - Glory Days

I blundered into Karima Francis on Later With Jools Holland a couple years ago and was pretty taken with her amazing voice and outwardly freakish personae (meant as high praise).  In the time since her last record, there has evidently been a move to a major label subsidiary and a battle with anorexia, as well as some buzz after placing one of her tracks on a fairly successful British TV show. All of these things can only work against an artist trying to capitalize on their historically troubled second release, but judging by the new Glory Days EP things seem promising. The four song release precedes her new full-length The Remedy, due this fall.

Glory Days appears twice on this four song release, in single and acoustic version and while it's a decent track, my contrarian nature feels more strongly about the non-single tracks. Francis has an amazing voice to beat the (average) band and the adding of strings and big production smacks of lily gilding from where this asshole is sitting. Here's hoping the full-length blows up for her, but not before I can see her in small room here in town.

Keep track of all things Karima Francis here.

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Karima Francis - The Author

While running irritatingly behind, in the absence of new episodes of Spectacle, Later with Jools Holland on BBC-America continues to be the high water mark for televised contemporary music. I saw Karima Francis for the first time there, or rather heard her amazing voice, and have spent the better part of the year trying to find a copy of her debut, The Author.

Inexplicably produced by Kevin Bacon (yep, that one) The Author is an amazing combination of Joan Armatrading, Tracy Chapman and Nina Simone. It appears to be a song cycle documenting the arc of a troubled lesbian love affair, which accounts for it resonating so deeply here at JS-NYC. While the content may not be universal, the sentiment and the sound of Francis' voice certainly are. The Author does not appear to be available state-side, but is well worth picking up if you can find it.

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