Press
Kimberly Brown, “Because I Couldn’t Sleep”
By: Steward Marcantoni
(from Sanctuary of Sound )
How can I not like a CD that has a song called SOS my user name on Audiogon. Kimberly is an excellent vocalist who has produced a powerful and poignant collection of songs that belongs in everyone’s collection.
Hot Tickets
By: Ann Turner
(from Lesbianation.com)
...One of the most naturally talented female singer/songwriters I've come across in ages is Kimberly Brown, a former Atlanta resident now living and playing in Knoxville, TN. The title of her debut CD, Because I Couldn't Sleep... caught my eye right away - since I am a notorious insomniac. I wondered, what does this grrl with a guitar do when she can't sleep? Apparently, she lays down some damn fine music. The production quality of the CD is more like a live recording, rather than a polished studio sound, but in this case, who cares? Kimberly Brown is a diamond in the rough that needs no polishing. She's raw, unrestrained and passionate... this grrl is a powerhouse ready to be unleashed on the world.
Kimberly Brown, “Because I Couldn’t Sleep”
(from SongBaby.com)
A singer/songwriter with an honest turn of phrase, Kimberly's vocals will draw you into her warmth and her sorrow.
Grrl Singer-Songwriter Plays Strong And Sweet On New CD
By: Cam Lindquist
(from SisterTrip.com)
Looking for something fresh, but with a familiar flare? Looking for something that takes the best of two worlds and blends them together to make sounds so strong, crisp, and sweet you will swear your coffee has a hit of flavor you didn’t order? Well if so you need to buy yourself a copy of Because I Couldn’t Sleep by Atlanta musician Kimberly Brown.
Like half decaf and half regular, for those days you’re mostly awake, Kimberly Brown is a cross between rock’s legendary powerhouse Melissa Etheridge and country’s sweet melodious ballad-belting Kathy Mattea. With a great range, a strong clean voice, and passion behind each note - you can feel her pleasure, her pain, and her turmoil in each measure.
No need to find her muse, Kimberly Brown wrote or co-wrote all her own lyrics. For a new artist fresh on the CD scene out of the coffee houses and bars; that usually means only one thing. This is my life, this is what I have lived thus far. I know what I know, and I said what I said (as Paul Simon would say.) Time and time again we see that when a performer has actually lived their material, it makes for the best art.
And this time, in the form of music, no exception needs to be made. Brown’s lyrics are a portrayal of the essence of twenty-something life: fading love affairs, lost friends, burnt bridges and taking risks. A journey of ten tracks (plus a bonus hidden track) that explores a woman and her guitar struggling to find balance and identity in the craziness of life. Who couldn’t relate to that?
Musically speaking I have a rave and a rant! I love her voice. It keeps your attention with dynamic, clarity, almost perfection, and power from one end of the range to the other. The depth of the lyrics could only be done justice by someone of Ms. Brown’s obvious caliber. High and low, up and down, fast then slow she explores the full dynamic of a quality acoustically oriented vocalist.
My only gripe, as many starving artists do to save money, is that on the CD the vocal and musical tracks lack somewhat in the production quality. In places, the production sounds just a bit too raw. For live performances, i.e. Melissa Etheridge’s last tour: A Woman and Her Guitar, this is fine. But for a CD that was studio recorded, it is a common mistake that many artists make to save money. A minor infraction that was probably essential to bring us this album, but I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t point it out.
So what is my verdict? It was good to the last drop and I can’t wait to get a refill of Kimberly Brown from a second album, hopefully as strong on the production end as on the performance end. This CD is definitely a keeper this artist won’t regret having made a few years and a couple more albums down the road. So sit back, take a big sip of coffee, and get wrapped up in some music you will love to listen to and lyrics your heart and soul can relate to.