REVIEW: Kyra Lucas, Deep At The Bottom Of Things (Pinnacle)
- Bob Gajarsky
Yet another Berklee College of Music graduate has entered the professional music world. This time, it's Kyra Lucas, who has left the Boston-based music mecca to reside in nearby Harvard. Her debut album, Deep At The Bottom of Things , owes much to the trails blazed by Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos; outstanding vocals which not only can deliver a song to the listener, but add a powerful instrumentation in support of traditional musical accompaniment.
And, yes, it's 'those' vocals which are the driving force behind Deep . Deftly moving between the sounds of the aforementioned women while interspersing elements of new age and soul, Lucas sings of deceit ("Turnspeak"), reconciling the past ("The Homecoming"), fear ("Showers of Grace") and hope (appropriately enough titled "Hope").
The only drawback on this debut album is that the piano sometimes overshadows Lucas' vocals, which command such a strong presence that overmixed musical instruments actually detract from her performance. Given the focus of everything on this album, it should come as no surprise to discover Lucas' day job - teaching voice lessons.
Further information on Kyra Lucas can be found on the Pinnacle web site, at http://www.pinnacle-records.com
