CD of the week
David Shapshak
Kaolin Thomson could well be the next Alanis Morissette. It’s quite an accolade but it’s quite deserved.
The multi-talented 22-year-old has all the attributes of stardom: she has a syrupy voice with an incredible range, plays the flute, sax, keyboards and percussion, and is drop-dead gorgeous. Being 1,8 metres tall and a tri-athlete helps too.
This makes her the ideal lead vocalist, and creative force, of the increasingly potent local band Naked, along with Sean Ou Tim and Crallan P.
Listening to Naked’s debut album Bone Needs Flesh, it’s easy to see why they are making such waves, and why there may be a tropical storm to follow.
Thompson has matured exponentially – since I first heard her singing about two years ago, with local luminaries Steve Newman, Wendy Oldfield and Pops Mohamed – under the management of Fresh Music’s Kerry Friedman and Benjy Mudie.
The depth of her and the band’s talent is well showcased on the album, produced by Neal Syman, after a series of tours that have honed their musical skills.
The single Naked has gone through a variety of permutations and appears on the album as a love song, with a freshness and Thompson’s smooth, or sometimes piercing, voice giving it an edge.
Her vocal virtuosity is demonstrated even better in Wash Your Hands, a haunting ballad about Aids babies. Secret Mind is a melodic and acoustic love song that the band plays with hints of jazz, while Sea World, featuring Thompson on the flute, has a suave drum’n’bass feel.
American labels are reportedly interested in Thompson’s intelligent lyrics and head- strong image, and a front woman who doesn’t play the guitar.
Last month, CNN’s WorldBeat music programme featured the band prominently as part of a South African music special for the show’s first anniversary show on June 6.