Kerri Lowe
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
February 26, 2011
Kerri Lowe
Move Free
by Andy Miller of Ramblin’ Andy and The See Ya Laters
Kerri Lowe is a big-voiced newcomer in the Brooklyn Country community. Originally hailing from North Carolina, she is now a regular staple about town. Notably, she also works as Jalopy’s resident blogger. On January 20th, she released her debut EP Move Free.
Lowe’s rich and powerful voice is the most striking element on her album; it resonates in a low range that is both unique and a refreshing contrast to oft-heard squeaky songstresses. Rarely does she whisper, instead opting to belt out her tunes with the utmost confidence. Vocally, Neko Case makes a fair comparison in terms of intensity and volume – although there is a significant difference. Case tends to clip her phrasing, whereas Lowe has a beautiful, natural tremolo that brings to mind both Iris Dement and Dolly Parton. This quality can sound forced in some of Dement and Parton’s work, but Lowe’s feels completely organic, as though she can’t help it. Thom Yorke is one of the only other singers who spring to mind as having such a natural tremolo.
The underlying theme of Move Free is traveling from place to place. Instead of writing hackneyed tales about running away from personal problems or troubled relationships, Lowe spins more positive yarns about idealistically chasing after her dreams. Many of the songs play out as a one-sided dialogue with a lover, sometimes hoping he will come along and other times treating him as a needless weight. One of the driving forces of the album is that as it progresses, the role of this lover changes from confidante and co-traveler to something much more negative.
In contrast, the motive behind her traveling evolves from the vagueness of following a dream to the much more specific goal of being a road warrior musician–exquisitely detailing life on the road. This works well in and of itself, but what is truly a brilliant move is Lowe’s track ordering. She ends the EP with the self-loathing song “Good Luck and Goodbye,” which is about drinking alone at a bar, presumably after a terrible show, lamenting the life of the musician. By ending the EP with a lonely, thought-provoking song instead of the happy, Cinderella track that one might expect, Move Free plays out as an interesting character arc that warrants repeat listens. Are Lowe’s songs written to document memories or to convince herself of her decisions?
“Please Don’t Take Me To Kentucky” is my favorite song on the album. A departure from the tracks about romantic love, “Please Don’t Take Me To Kentucky” tells of a young girl who learns her father is in jail, and as a result she decides never to return to Kentucky as an adult. It was fun trying to figure out whom she was addressing in this song, which she thankfully answers in the end, creating another level within the song. Lowe does a great job fostering some mythology around herself, which is extremely compelling for a musician’s audience. Listeners love to be intrigued about whom we’re listening to, and the better the story the more likely we’ll attend to an artist’s future work.
One improvement to Move Free could be made by adding some more instrumentation to her lone voice and guitar. There is something intimate about these recordings, but it’s impossible not to imagine how her big voice might sound doing some real barn-burners. Lowe has the potential to get the dust flying and folks rocking out. Luckily, her bio has informed me that she’s working on a new EP with a larger band and some more rocking and upbeat songs. I can’t wait!
Move Free is a great introduction to an exciting new voice on the Brooklyn scene; it’s definitely an album worth getting your hands on. Be sure to check out Kerri Lowe live and find more information here. - Brooklyn Country
Discography
The Truth
Photos
Bio
Kerri Lowe is a Brooklyn based Poetic Americana singer/songwriter from North Carolina. Younger than youd guess and tougher than youd believe, this brown-eyed girl has plenty to sing about. Too honest to be kept in a journal, her songs tear, prod, and release what you've been trying to conceal. And if you arent in love by the end of the first note, you will be by the last lullaby.
Lowe grew up in a country song, survived a classic American adolescence, read voraciously and wrote herself into an NYC adventure novel all fodder for the wealth of words and rhymes that took her by surprise at the beginning of acting school at eighteen years old. Stubborn as a mule and chronically unable to do anything she doesnt want to, Lowe found every loophole that would allow her to concentrate on music while obtaining an acting degree from NYU in just three years.
Free from academia, Lowe sought practical teachers in guitar and performance and starting playing shows throughout New York. Moving through some early EPs and partnerships, Lowe found her voice in her first full-length album, The Truth, recorded live and to tape in Carrboro, NC.
A coming of age album, The Truth begins with a paradox (The trouble with my truth is that it changes all the time) and ends with a promise. A promise to keep walking, keep writing, keep singing until the lies we tell ourselves get worn down, worn out, and wash away in the presence of our truth.
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