Recording at home and self-releasing music no longer implies less-than-pro material, now that the music industry has been wracked with technological bitch-slaps from no-good kids taking advantage of free downloads and file sharing (the high prices of major label releases coming home to roost, perhaps?) to cheap digital studio-grade recording equipment that lets you churn out startlingly good product. Here's the part, however, where I tell you to skip the free downloads and go buy something. Go buy Megan King's new, yes, self-recorded and self-released album, Pretty Songs LP.It sounds fantastic, full of emotive vocals and impassioned acoustic-based tunes. It's available directly from her website (www.meganking.net) in both digital download and hard-copy formats. King did everything herself here, from the capable, full-sounding audio production to the artwork, and her hard work certainly pays off.Listen, for instance, to the powerful, yearning "Little Bird," which balances King's expressive vocals with insistent acoustic strumming. Or the opener, "Two Hearts Waltz," a hypnotizing number floating on a delicate, meditative melody. Like many of the tunes on King's debut, Confidential Reality, "Two Hearts Waltz"Â contains classic folk elements, but this one adds what could be perceived as Middle Eastern touches to the vocals, to great effect. No shrinking violet, King shows off her more powerful chops during "Enemy You,"Â which builds up to a coffeehouse-rumbling climax. Drummer? She don't need no stinking drummer.King's voice most often calls to mind a pleasantly intense combination of Sarah McLachlan and Indigo Girls, and her fretwork, vocal harmonies and subtle musical touches throughout the disc are spot-on. The album's title only hints at the depth and intensity inside these very pretty songs.
D.M. JONES..Whatzup Magazine (2008)
I first met Megan King in the fall of 2002, when she signed up for my Intro to World Folk Music class at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. Now, as someone who teaches college courses on folk and popular music, I'm accustomed to drawing the musically gifted and musically inclined. I'm constantly amazed at how much my students already know, how eager they are to learn more, how engaged and enthusiastic they are. But Megan was one of those who stands out from the beginning. It wasn't just that she stayed awake (most manage) and seemed attentive (until the first exam, how can you really tell?). It wasn't just that she nodded at appropriate times (you can fake that) and laughed at my jokes (I'm sure a lot of times, they're just sparing my feelings). True, she was often carrying a guitar (many are). And she was "working on a CD" (who isn't these days?). But Megan asked questions—really relevant questions. She offered informed observations. She knew what ASCAP was and understood the difference between intellectual property and the public domain. She immediately grasped the difference between folk music and the folksong revival. She'd heard of Sligo-style fiddling. She could follow the plot of a Child ballad and hear Cuban rhumba's influence in Congolese soukous. In short, Megan seemed to get it. I didn't—not quite. Then one night Megan came down to open stage at Fort Wayne's Toast & Jam Coffeehouse. And I got it. Megan King sings like a wild bird. She picks a mean guitar. And she writes songs—not just doodles but songs: musical pieces with a beginning, a middle, and an end, actual songs with a structure and a point. So I finally got it. Megan King feels music. She knows music. Megan King gets music. Now that her CD is out, you can get it too. So get it. If you don't, maybe think about taking a class.
JOHN MINTON
Professor of Folklore
Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (2004)
While studying at IPFW Megan King made quite a musical impression on professor and local musician John Minton, so much so that he includes a glowing endorsement in the liner notes of her first album. Recorded at Studiobaker Music in North Webster, Confidential Reality is an excellent collection of well-developed songs in the singer-songwriter style, with Megan playing acoustic guitar and singing all vocal parts.The 11 tracks are centered around King’s love and knowledge of folk music, as evidenced by her story songs and strong melodies although hints of blues and rock are not uncommon. “Oblivion Road,†the opener, is one of the best tracks, with King’s frail vocals floating over an acoustic guitar as they articulate an amazing amount of expression, forcing the listener to focus on the message. Yet her voice is far from weak. The rocky, yet mysterious “Forgiveness†displays hints of the Wilson sisters of Heart, and the bluesy, but jaunty “Butterfly People†evokes memories of Janis Joplin. But King’s strength is in her vulnerability, found in such songs as the hauntingly beautiful “Dancing Eyes†that feature a mesmerizing cello or “Imagination,†where fiddle and cello join the acoustic guitar for a near-classical experience.Joining her on this debut musical excursion as heavy hitters like Big Willy and Ted “Mongo†Carter of Summertime Blues Band, fiddler Sean Hoffman, cellist Dan Zambrano and mandolin virtuoso Jay Lapp of Goldmine Pickers. Their experience definitely adds a greater depth to this project, although the songs are so well written and compelling that I have no doubt that they work quite well in a coffee house with just King and her guitar. Mature songwriting, impressive playing, enchanting vocals with endearing two-part harmonies - slip this disc in and become an insider to Megan King’s Confidential Reality.
JASON HOFFMAN - ..Whatzup Magazine (2005)
Buy Pretty Songs LP Tracks at Megan's DigStation Website:
