Introducing Arthur Kall

SteveK on the debut from the Montreal singer-songwriter

Arthur Kall: Notes in Neon

Arthur Kall, a singer-songwriter from here in Montreal,  is one of many very talented Montreal musicians who participated in last year’s CONFRONT Presents benefit concert; and most of us who were at the show have been eagerly awaiting the release of this album, especially after his understated yet powerful live set.

For ‘Notes in Neon’,  a collection of nine of Kall’s songs, Kall relies heavily on folksy, acoustic guitar, R&B flavoured Blues, mellow vocals and soft, smooth tones.  This is a velvety album, with a nice, slow vibe.

Best of the lot is ‘Jealousy’, a clever and beautiful ballad that has already become Kall’s “signature” piece.  Arthur’s style is, as mentioned earlier, rooted in singer-songwriter folk Rock, and when his music reflects this, he is at his best.  However there are a couple of unfortunate song choices on the album; namely “Giving Up” in which some Techno-Pop vocal modulations are used and the closing track, “Can’t Stop”, which features Underground Reloaded who provides some Hip-Hop backing.  The two songs are still capably written and performed, however, the added production is too incongruous with the rest of the album.

That said, these flaws are minor given the caliber of the material on this debut.  It is clear that we can expect to hear a lot more of Arthur Kall.  Hopefully you won’t wait until everyone else gets on the bandwagon, and you’ll look for his debut CD when it drops.

Arthur Kall: Notes in Neon

Independent Release ( http://www.arthurkall.com )

Steve’s Rating: 8/10