This page contains a brief overview on the album CHARLENE KAYE: doppelganger. Learn more about the artist and explore the track lists and website. If you find any information that needs to be corrected, please let us know.

 
The excellent 8-song debut of singer-songwriter Charlene Kaye reveals a rare, blooming talent. Born in Hawaii and raised in Arizona, Kaye is self-taught at the guitar, she can sing, she can play, and she can write one hell of a song. Too often in modern recordings, production replaces the natural intuition of the musician, but in her first self-made EP, recorded as a freshman at the U of Michigan, Kaye is able to unleash her musical talent by imbuing the songs with a certain level of complexity amidst its catchy hooks and melodies.
Although most tracks feature simply a guitar-cello or guitar/hand percussion duo, one is still able to appreciate her diverse musical abilities, ranging from the impressive guitarwork to her bell-clear alto, which has an endearable quality of determination on some tracks and a subdued and heartfelt tone on others. The EP's title, "Doppelganger," expressed by a series of monologues done by James Somers which appear at the end of occasional tracks, explores the idea that each of us has a normal, daily self which we present to others, our ego, and a darker, hidden self called a doppelganger from which we draw our creative energies and best individual qualities. Likewise, Kaye's musical adventurousness is linked to real ideas and emotional force. "Gula," (which means "glutton" in Latin), the opening track, discusses the perils of apathy and laziness that can be a result of having too much wealth, and in the instrumental "Ellipsis," cello blends beautifully with guitar in a waltz which slowly morphs into a captivating, heart-racing 4/4 piece. However, in its poppier numbers, Kaye reveals her ability to capture a mood and character set to an undeniable hook, such as the percussive guitarwork similar to that of Ani DiFranco's on "Eye on the Prize," and the pumping cello-guitar hook in "Hourglass." As a debut, this is an incredibly realized work.
Charlene Kaye blazes her own trail, an engaging artist with a superb songwriting ability that has the potential to go milestones further musically.

Check out the artist's website:
http://www.myspace.com/charlenekayeisawesome

Track List:
1. Gula
2. Ellipsis
3. Hourglass
4. Red Wine
5. Eye On the Prize
6. Dress and Tie
7. Ellipsis (remix)
8. Greener Grass
9. Facebook Whore

Suggested CDs:

• Courtney Fairchild

Other Genres:

• FOLK: like Ani
• POP: Folky Pop
• TYPE: ACOUSTIC