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Album Details

• Artist: Shanna Kiel
• Album: Orphan
• Label: Thick
• Year of Release: 2006
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2006-11-03

Former Sullen singer Kiel switches gears with Orphan, producing a brooding muddy rock a bit different from her Riotgrrl days. She manages to hold on to the rage, and the fun, but she digs a little deeper. Menacing simple chords are fleshed out by her vocals, which are compelling when screaming or whispering. “Song for the Hoodwink” and “sharpen the Dull” are examples of her vocal prowess, as well as her developing lyric chops. Same deal with “Good Grief” and “Rotting From the Inside.” Kiel creates a raw landscape with her guitar and her voice, with words to back up the attitude. “Good Grief” in particular has Westerberg-ian fun with turning cliches upside down and breathing new life into them. It would have been easy for Kiel to play off her past and bring on the same old thing. But she has taken a lot of risks on Orphan, and they pay off big time. This is a record with great writing, guts, humor, sarcasm, and it rocks. You can’t ask for much more in an election season when it seems true humanity is hard to come by.

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