Karen David
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Karen David

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"Karen David "The Live Sessions" EP"

Full of Eastern promise!! That's what 'The Live Sessions EP' by Karen David is. Recorded 'live' in the studio, 'The live Sessions' allows the listener just a small peep into the real heart and soul of this richly talented young lady with a relaxing, calming, almost therapeutic musical journey of the highest standard.

Live and uncluttered but beautifully proportioned, 'The Live Sessions' is about as genuine as it gets - and it works wonderfully well! Strangely though, if this EP had been given the full studio production treatment it would still have worked but I actually dread to think how good it would have turned out coz in its stripped down form this is elegant, powerful and tantalising - and absolutely superb (so fully 'cooked' doesn't even bare thinking about!!).

Born in the north-east of India, Karen David unsurprisingly brings plenty of eastern influences to her western-ised 'pop' or, as her press pack puts it, 'exotic pop'. Cleverly, David doesn't overdo the Indian-esque, rather, she balances it superbly with orchestral and acoustic instrumentation and allows the east to augment the west, and visa versa, with stunning results. Karen David has a beautifully, quite sexy sounding voice which she effortlessly delivers with silky precision and respectful emotion as she seamlessly flirts with R&B, flits into pure pop and flows across nu-jazz. The only disappointing thing here is that there's just five tracks; all originals, all quite stunning - but just too few!!

With genre blurring qualities and gentle emotional undercurrents that belie its powerful, heart-felt core, 'The Live Sessions EP' by Karen David is a massively impressive work and hopefully just a great appetite whetter for bigger things to come - and surely just the start for this talented songstress. Quite breathtaking - excellent!!

www.toxicpete.co.uk

- www.toxicpete.co.uk


Discography

FOSHCDEP1: Alive
FOSHCDEP2: The Live Sessions
Rough Guide to Indian Lounge

Recent Airplay: Pathaan's Musical Rickshaw (BBC), DJ Ritu (BBC London), Spider Jones (CFRB 1010AM Canada), and BBC Asian Network

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Bio

Karen’s enthusiasm for performing live has seen her perform with the Inklein Quartet and tabla genius, Sirish Kumar, at key venues across London, from the Jazz Cafe and Ronnie Scotts to the Ritzy Cinema Brixton, and an invitation to play the very prestigious Nehru Centre in Mayfair (The Cultural Wing of the Indian High Commission). She’s already notched up a few hits on the festival circuit including Glastonbury, Wychwood and the Secret Garden Festival.

The priority now is to complete her debut album, "Me Versus Me". She’s been working with an A-list team that includes the beautiful, eclectic Bombay Dub Orchestra (Garry Hughes and Andrew T Mackay), and songwriter-producers Rob Wells, Damian Legassick, Andy Bradfield and, of course, A R Rahman. The breathtakingly original songs marry her velvet smooth voice and quirky insights with progressive dub pop, set against an exotic backdrop that could only have been painted by Karen David.

Karen has been super busy most recently with preparations for her second EP release, "The Live Sessions". Growing up in a house filled with love for all kinds of music, Karen’s parents would take her regularly to the local amusement park to hear some of the music industry’s greatest legends perform: Smokey Robinson, Herbie Hancock, The Temptations, Dionne Warwick, Kool and the Gang and Neil Sedaka to mention a few. So it came as no surprise when Karen announced that she had wanted to record a live sessions ep of her forthcoming album tracks – in the old school tradition. With no computer in sight, “The Live Sessions” ep was recorded organically and live at Antonio Feola’s Fish Factory Studio in Dollis North London on equipment from the golden age of valve technology. This has given the recordings a truly distinctive feel where the ‘The Live Sessions’ vividly captures Karen’s magical, live sound.

Opening track ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ is an epic musical homage to Bollywood blockbuster “Dum Maro Dum”, while ‘Carry Me Home’ showcases Karen’s voice and features the exquisite Inklein Quartet and the extraordinary string arrangements of Steve Bentley-Klein. ‘All I Need’ meanwhile is the result of a collaboration with Jonas Quant, a young writer discovered by Karen on myspace, who has since written for Kylie Minogue, while the flamenco-tinged “Pink Glasses,” and “Shillong Shillong” an autobiographical song about Karen’s remarkable roots. But no matter how far Karen has come, where she is going is every bit as exciting and ‘The Live Sessions’ is an incredibly exciting statement of intent from an artist tipped for big and beautiful things...