Like One Three

‘Like One Three’ is a series highlighting albums of the past that may have gone pass people‘s head. I’m hoping that this article gives you reason to reach back and catch it ’Like One Three’. Shoutout to Drake and Odell Beckham Jr. for inspiring this concept. I present to you, Kimbra ‘Vows’.

My first time hearing Kimbra was around the end of 2011 on that smash record from Gotye ‘Somebody that I used to know’. Immediately after hearing her I had to find out who she was. Her voice would never have me guess she was from New Zealand but the most important thing I found out was she had an album out. Living in Hawaii this was the perfect time for me to go outside and sit in the backyard and stargaze listening to ‘Vows’.

You can probably guess what the album’s theme is off the title, Love and Relationships. From the jump she sets the tone with ‘Settle Down’. Quickly she professes she wants to settle down. In a time where want monogamy in music was starting to go away Kimbra stands firm in those beliefs. She showcases a great amount of vocal range and creativity with how she uses adlibs and background textures. I was immediately drawn into this album after hearing this song.

I don’t feel like it’s fair to do falsetto runs twenty seconds into a song but on ‘Something in the Way You Are’ Kimbra doesn’t effortlessly and I melt every time. The drums in the beginning of the song lead up to those beautiful vocals perfectly. She speaking about that special something a person has in them that just keeps you completely infatuated with their entire being. That thing that keeps you craving their presence in your life. It’s alway something you can’t really describe with words but it’s there. Definitely one of my favorite songs on the album.

My absolute favorite song on this album is ’Plain Gold Ring (Live)’. It‘s really reminiscent of some Amy Winehouse type shit. It’s really like a vocal flex track, she showed off so many techniques on this record it’s ridiculous. I don’t want to speak what she’s saying too much because that’s something for y’all to appreciate. This is the song I go to on YouTube to show people how amazing a singer Kimbra is and why I have literally watched all of her live sets on the platform too many times.

I feel like the concept of making love songs without being extremely explicit has been forgotten up until I heard this album. I probably haven’t even cared to look for them but Kimbra executed it so beautifully it’s hard for me to stay away. Her voice carries the soul of a lot of the Greats that came before, which could be credited to the fact that foreign countries live with the values of appreciating the Legends they have looked up to. You can hear the Prince influence, the Björk, the Minnie Riperton. There’s so many songs I can highlight but I want y’all to discover your favorites yourselves and tell me and others about them.

I really want to show great appreciation to the Wonderful Ms. Kimbra for giving us such a beautiful album. An album with such an amazing perspective on Love. At the time I discovered this album I probably needed to here some of this stuff more than I knew it.