I first came across the recordings of Keren Ann by way of my fondness for the work of French producer/artist Benjamin Biolay, who oversaw her first three albums. Born in Israel, the daughter of a Russian-Jewish father and a Dutch-Javanese mother, her family settled in Paris while she was still a child. Consequently, most of her early catalog is sung in French.
If you want to go back and step through the best of what's come from her so far, I highly recommend her timeless ballad "Not Going Anywhere," from the 2003 album of the same name. Also, her spellbinding last album (the self-titled Keren Ann), yielded some world class gems, including "Lay Your Head Down" and "Liberty."
Now, she returns with her sixth release, 101, which suggests a move back to basics, but in reality chronicles tremendous growth. The title song, an amalgam of word associations that closes the album, features a spoken monologue by a character riding down an elevator, inspired by a recent visit to a 101-story building in Tapei. 101 is also the number a person calls for an ambulance in her beloved Tel Aviv.
"My Name is Trouble," the lead off track from the record, is instantly memorable has been getting substantial love on KCRW and our music stream, Eclectic24. But one track is never enough when you dive into good music so we’re excited to feature the entire record in a sneak peak before release right here in KCRW's Album Preview.
-- Chris Douridas, KCRW Music Host
101 will be available to stream on demand from March 15 through April 13, 20011. The album will be released on March 22, 2011.
Artist website: http://www.kerenann.com/
Track listing:
1. My Name Is Trouble
2. Run With You
3. All The Beautiful Girls
4. Sugar Mama
5. She Won t Trade It For Noting
6. You Were On Fire
7. Blood On My Hands
8. Song From A Tour Bus
9. Strange Weather
10. 101
Banner image: Jan Welters