Varying in tone but constantly sporting just as much color as Kimberlye Gold’s vocal does, the instrumental element in the singer/songwriter’s upcoming EP Soliloquy is the most communicative component of the record outside of the lyrics. On its own, the melodic part in Gold’s cover of the Young Rascals’ 1967 song, “How Can I Be Sure” might not do much to advance a theme of emotional kinship, but when placed under the command of Gold we find it as powerful an agent of evocation as they come. There’s poetic value to almost every stitch of audio you’re going to hear in Soliloquy, and although this can certainly be said of the past material this player has recorded, I think she seems to be turning a major creative corner in this latest release.
Gold’s lead vocal in “The Right Kind of No,” “A Place in Your Heart” and “Who We Are Now” is probably one of the best, most confident, and most expressive of any she’s ever put forth on a record, and it would surprise me a great deal if I were the only observer remarking as much. There’s so much swagger here, and while it never verges on negativity, arrogance, or self-righteousness, I think it’s present enough in her performance to have a direct impact on how we’re to interpret the narratives here. She has a lot that she wants to get off of her chest in Soliloquy, and her utilization of as many artistic avenues as she can fit into an otherwise minimalistic pop release reflects that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Lyrically, almost everything here relates to a self-awareness that I can only wish to hear more of on the FM dial, with the fantastic “Who We Are Now,” “Nowhere to Go But Gone” and “A Place in Your Heart” defining the bigger picture in Soliloquy beautifully. Sometimes, to grow into a better artist, a singer/songwriter has to look as deeply inward as they can muster themselves to do from inside the typically restrictive environment of the recording studio, and though I’m hesitant to say Gold couldn’t get even deeper than she has in this instance, she’s undeniably getting personal for this record. I admire her willingness to take things to the next level just for the sake of her art, and her efforts make this EP the must-listen disc it truly is.
If you haven’t been listening to Kimberlye Gold up until this point, I think you need to check out Soliloquy on the day it drops this January. This time of year is often terribly underwhelming for audiophiles, but in the wake of a suffocating 2022, it would appear indie artists like this one didn’t stay away from the drawing board – and their concepts are turning into incredibly thoughtful music this late winter. Gold is someone you need to be paying attention to right now, and Soliloquy is a verification of her ability to any who might have questioned it beforehand.
Chadwick Easton