LORI MCKENNA: The Kitchen Tapes

Lori McKenna

The Kitchen Tapes

© 2003 Lori McKenna/ Gyrox Records (653496005525)

CD permanently out of stock. Sorry!

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From an undiscovered, yet treasured American songwriter comes an accidental recording of stark, stripped down, and intmate performances of songs that cross between folk, pop, and alternative country. A kin of "Nebraska" and "The Texas Campfire Tapes".

notes

Do you believe in happy accidents? Well, to me this album is just that.

It happened over the course of a few days while sitting in my kitchen with a bunch of new songs swirling in my head.

I got out my minidisc recorder, a cheap little microphone and my notebook, filled with a writing binge I went on just after finishing my last album, and I started to play.

I do most of my songwriting in the kitchen.

I've lived here for the past 13 years, a few miles from where I grew up in Stoughton, near the south shore of Massachusetts.

At the time, I was sure these recordings would stay here in this house with me.

I recorded these songs quickly, mostly in one take, just so I wouldn't forget the melodies and chords.

I decided to release these recordings as they are so you can hear them the way I did the time - fresh, simple and unadorned.

What you hear is not polished or refined.

It's just me and my guitar.

I didn't make any effort to fix mistakes or re-record any songs.

This is me in my kitchen, at my table with the phone ringing, the TV buzzing, and my kids running around.

The recordings are far from perfect, but they were never meant to be.

I'd like to think that their imperfections add to their beauty, and I hope you will, too.

reviews

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  • lori mckenna's music raptures hearts & minds
    author: joe waters www.newcolonyrecords.com

    lori is an observer and narrator of life lived - lightness to darkness - sometimes weary to the world - but hopeful enough inside at times -to keep us going . . poetic & accessible, these tunes are solid, musical spoonfuls of geniune human experience . . ' the kitchen tapes' cd has a nice variety of tempos, narratives and vulnerabilities .

  • author: Lisa

    Lori, I love you.. You're wonderfull.. I realy love the songs: Fireflies, Falter (!!!!), Never die young, How to be righteous, Hardly Speaking, Swallows me whole... !!!!! AWESOME !!!! Big Kiss Lisa When will you are going to give a show @ The Netherlands ???

  • Lori McKenna vocals are fantastic
    author: www.GreatIndieMusic.com

    Love the vocal preformance on this cd. Keep up the good work!

  • Let us make the choice, This is ok
    author: Walt Templet

    Nothing wrong with putting out cd's like this. Let us the listener decide. I will buy it.

  • The Way it should be....................
    author: bennettfolk.com

    Listen up...........this is the best singer-songwriter in the business right now. No question. And the voice will send ya to another place.................. Jason Bennett bennettfolk.com

  • Words cannot decribe the beauty of this CD
    author: Kathy

    Oh,oh, oh.....the "imperfectness" makes it perfect. How is it that an artist can make your heart sing and ache at the same time? Lori McKenna has done just this...and all from her kitchen!

  • I play it everywhere I go!
    author: Emily Leonard

    I love it, love it. perfect, sweet and sad and true.

  • raw and great
    author: Bob Gregory

    Great stuff--her material and her voice make strong emotional stirring music and there's no tired noise to get in the way. The stripped down homemade flavor really is perfect.

  • A wonderful example of the power and beauty of Lori's music
    author: Roy Larsen

    What a wonderful window into a part of the singer/songwriter process. No better example of the power an beauty of Lori's music. A must get for anyone who is into singer songwriters and the relationships they have with their songs.

  • tis the reason
    author: William (W. K.) Mahler

    being from cape cod myself, she is the reason after listening to this compilation of music that i went out and released my own. lori, this is what its all about, honesty and you lori are doing just that! your way! this has all the elements of true cape cod folk art and it is the reason why you have climbed into the annals of history and future as a progressing artist. awesome!

  • I'm gonna need to buy another copy. Mine is almost worn out.
    author: Brent

    There’s a saying that goes something like “If you can’t dazzle ‘em with brilliance … baffle ‘em with bullshit”. Lori McKenna’s no frills cd “The Kitchen Tapes” dazzled me with absolutely s no bullshit. How often do you get to sit in a singer-songwriters kitchen and have them play songs just for you? Well … unless you live with one your chances are pretty slim right? Lori McKenna has invited you into her home. Do yourself a favour. Accept the invitation. Buy this cd. Brent

  • Deep and immense
    author: Paul

    What a profound work! Fantastic!! Hauntingly beautiful songs that I just can't get out of my head! I never give ANYTHING 5 stars. I need more!

  • Beautiful and thoughful
    author: Christa

    A very nice lo-fi recording of well written songs. The lyrical content is intelligent and spiritual. i really love this album!

  • textbook acoustic folk
    author: Reinhard

    This is a textbook Lori CD cutting right to your heart with songs only Lori McKenna can write. It's been recorded quickly in Lori's house - so it's far from being a perfect recording. But that only adds to its beauty. Lori's sort of redefining folk music here. It's as imperfect as we all are.

  • melts right past "hard to impress" and blows away jaded musician
    author: Eric Riebling

    I have been making music professionally for over 20 years, and it is very hard to get me excited about ANY new music. But after following a link from Brian Webb and Rachel McCartney I acidentally stumbled into a serious gem. And I'm the type that's a sucker for slick, overproduced pop/jazz/groove music, who has slowly been getting educated in the direction of folk by way of backing singer/songwriters on various records. This defies all my predefined notions and cuts right to the heart of music, beauty, and bares the very soul. And a gorgeous soul it is. Lori has the guitar chops to imply a whole band full of groove, laying out funky and cool bass lines intertwined with accompaniment I have no idea how it's possible to sing over at the same time. Never mind that the vocals carry the same extremely high level of nuance, complexity, and outright balls at times. This belongs at the top of the pyramid of talented artistry. It's lonely up there, but somebody's got to inspire all the other musicians!

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