Album Review: Amy Klein Is Literally Fire!

On June 10, Amy Klein will debut her first album Fire. I begin my review of her album by clearly stating that I am a feminist. I enjoy listening to strong women with vast, forceful voices. Cue Amy Klein’s offering of a down -to- earth rocker sensibility that will leave everyone readying to receive her female empowerment. 

For starters, Klein’s voice has a sneak attack quality to it.  Initially, when you hear the former Titus Andronicus member you think she has a simple even quiet voice.  Her song Fire starts out with light strumming and repetitive drumming to formulate a powerhouse. It an excellent introduction that encapsulates Amy’s thoughtful indie-folkish with her full-on Janis Joplinesque, anthemic tendencies.  Klein has many instances on the album where she goes from cool-headed, pensiveness to in your face questioning. She uses the smoky emotiveness of her voice as a mirror to confront the world, and you lay back to see its response. Looking back, it is actually quite beautiful what she has done. She has made an album that delves into the mind of a woman with no airs or preaching. It is simply an offering of entrance into her thoughts like, a musical version of Being John Malkovich. 

My love for Klein’s album and artistry comes from its painful vulnerability and introspective observations. Klein echoes a beloved artist that I have previously homaged: Laura Nyro. They both share a sadness to their voice and lyrics, which is far from a bad thing. Again, there is a subtle pinch of openness and confusion that they always carry in their song. Even when in love, Klein is a mixture of tears and smiles. She allows insecurities to seep out of  her words and voice to gain a mutual catharsis between herself and listeners. Hence, she is 100% a rocker.

Klein reminds me of classic female rockers like Patti Smith or Joan Baez, which defined their inner boldness and strength according to their generosity of spirit. Fire plays like a diary page of a young Millennial woman. It is certainly a must hear for female Millennials undergoing their own episode of emotional highs and lows. 

Halfway– Plays like a call to angels. You feel arisen from its beginning as Klein brings forth her higher pitch and melodic violins to describe giving into love. Her words are so intimately vivid in revealing the physical and spiritual stimulation felt when you love someone and he or she loves you back.

You Are The One: the incessant drumming and Klein’s light, breathy hook make her appear like a vocal phantasm. Not to mention the songs has an Old Western like feel. which makes her declaration of love feel like a shot to the heart.

Runaway: It is a light, acoustically driven song where Klein shows that a quiet vocal range can loudly proclaim lyrical vastness. The song is so beautiful in its open struggle to define beauty both internally and externally. What woman does not know that struggle?

Parallels: A heavily noir bassine give this song a sexy edge. Klein soft voice is inadvertently seductive as she sings of her desire to be parallel to her lover. The song is a perfect example of Klein’s old-school vibe. Anyone whom hear it will think it was an early 90’s indie-rock classic.

Fire: the title track and an excellent introduction into Klein’s poetic lyricism and firmness as an artist to watch.