Even if this is all Kaolin Thomson is (you might remember her from the band Naked), then it’s still more than many musicians can hope to be.
On All I Am (Sheer) she flaunts her music skills to great effect. Most of the music and lyrics are by Thomson; she provides the vocals; and she also plays keyboards and the flute, resulting in a very personal album, in places reminiscent of the solo work of Annie Lennox after leaving the Eurythmics.
The music itself is incredible. It starts with Crossing, a slow and relaxed pop song that is simple but touching. From here it gets more interesting with each track. Real boasts sublime percussion by Efrain Toro; Is This Your Dream reminds you of Desiree’s hit Life; Obsessed has floating vocals over a delectable and slow but dancy beat; and Deeper has a choir providing extra vocal sounds.
Ambience is a beautiful instrumental track with flute and water sounds, leading into the upbeat Walking on Air, before the music goes back into instrumental territory with Conversations with Myself, a fascinating flute-and-drums combo crying out for use by a choreographer.
All I Am is ambient without being monotonous and pop without being commercial; maybe not assertive enough to impress everyone, but definitely worth owning.