Kirsten Price

Guts & Garbage (KPI Recordings)

By Jennifer Jeffery
Published: June 19th, 2008 | 1:03pm

It seems like anytime a female singer has a little swagger in her voice, she’s compared to British bad girl Amy Winehouse. Winehouse might have serious chops, but British-born New Yorker Kirsten Price has her own strut — it’s not cocky, but sexy and confident.

“Crazy Beautiful” isn’t just a track off of her debut, Guts & Garbage; it’s a description of the album’s multiplicity: a combination of soul, hip-hop, sultry vocals, and introspective lyrics that take an alternative route to catapulting Price to the stardom she deserves. As for the tremendous confidence she exudes, Price comes off as a proud “I am woman, hear me roar” artist, as opposed to an artificial diva penning bubblegum lyrics with no emotion or substance. Indeed, if there’s one thing this album delivers big on, it’s individuality.

Guts & Garbage contains a hip-hop vibe with rock undertones, but traces of both elements — with doses of her Motown influences — creep into the songs. Opening track “Magic Tree,” which has been featured on Showtime’s lesbian drama, The L Word, has a highly contagious hook and masterfully showcases Price’s sultry trill. The funk-influenced “Freedom” is a feel-good anthem that inspires listeners to break through hardships and be strong, while “Bring Me Back” is a nostalgic walk down memory lane with lyrics like, “You bring me back/ Like an old soul record on an 8-track/ I dig in the crate and dust you off/ Wanna play it again.”

Despite the abundance of up-tempo tracks, Price never comes off as a one-trick pony; her lighter fare, such as the Flamenco-tinged “Let Me Go,” carries her breathy vocals over violins and a Spanish guitar. Sometimes reminiscent of Fiona Apple and even Lauryn Hill, Price’s gift of melding genres, combined with a DIY attitude and her introspective free spirit, makes Guts & Garbage a non-contrived album.

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