Here's an album that many people may not be familiar with. It was almost like fate led me to find this one and I'm fairly sure if luck hadn't intervened that I would never have crossed paths with it. Kim Fox just happened to be the opening act for Holly Cole, I believe, and a friend and I went to see her performance at the original Nita's Hideaway in Tempe, AZ. My friend was a fan of Holly Cole and wanted to see her; I was (and remain) a bit so-so on Cole's work but I did sort of like the album she was touring for at the time, I believe "Dark Dear Heart", and I also had an appreciation for her Tom Waits cover song album. Because of this, I agreed to go with him to the show.
The old Nita's in Tempe was literally exactly that...a 'hideaway' or hole in the wall sort of place, and it was also somewhere that I frequented, seeing quite a few great performances there in the most intimate venue imaginable. As usual, I went into the performance like I pretty much always do, being fairly uninterested in seeing an opening act because I've simply never really been a fan of the whole thing, feeling like it's more akin to riding in a friends car and being subjected to their musical taste (or sometimes torture) for the duration of the journey. I had never heard of Kim Fox nor had any clue what she was about but, much to my surprise, my eyebrows immediately went up when she took the stage.
I don't really remember what song she opened with but I do know that she grabbed my attention right away. She had a great stage presence, perfect amount of confidence (something I greatly lacked when performing), and seemed to have a certain artistic cohesiveness that I really connected with right away. Her voice was unique and pleasant and her song writing was very clever without being too clever, if you know what I mean, and although her music was pop oriented it seemed like the sort of pop that people should listen to and for whatever reason don't. In short, I was a bit blown away. And then, she brought out the axe and sang "I Want to Be a Witch" as she chopped a large chunk of wood, basically using it as her back beat. There was absolutely no chance that I wasn't going to buy this album immediately and so I did.
To say that I loved this album is putting it mildly for I think I played it for quite a few weeks straight. I also shared it with a few of my more open minded music friends and quite honestly the whole experience became a bit of a model for what I wanted to try and do myself. The album's overall tone is just as I stated, very clever pop, but again it just feels like the kind of music that should have been heard on every radio station back in the late nineties rather than the drab, repetitive, formulaic material that was actually getting airplay. In short, Kim Fox got short changed like many others who were putting out original and interesting music at the time.
"Found a Penny" has to be one of my favorites. I simply love the tone when the song begins, not to mention that awesome opening line. "Could Have Been a Saint" should probably have been called "should have been a pop hit..." for it's tailor made for it. The track that has always haunted the heck out of me, though, is the very last one...the cover song "Atlantic City". I can't exactly explain why but there's just something about this rendition of the song that really grabs me, even though it's done in an almost childlike manner. Perhaps it's the heavy reverb and the effects on the vocal...not sure...but I've never been able to get this song out of my head over the past 2+ decades. And, of course, "I Want to Be a Witch" is another perfectly crafted pop song, even without the axe visually. Overall, the album today still sounds super fresh, very original, and simply wonderful and enjoyable from start to finish, and therefore it's been a bit of a treasure in my collection all of these years.
I'm not entirely sure how readily available this album is at this point but I do see some CD's still listed for sale on Amazon. I did see Kim Fox one other time, a few months after the first, where she appeared and played in all places I think a Borders Music Store, basically upstairs under the bright fluorescent lights. It was an odd place to see her and it would be the last time but it did give me the opportunity to chat with her, get my CD signed, etc. I know I briefly told her that I was wanting to promote my own music and she was super kind, even giving me an address or something like that to send a demo to. A few months later I believe I sent a cassette tape to the mysterious address but never heard back; who knows what god awful songs and production I would have sent at that time since I literally didn't have a clue as to how to really record anything. Regardless, "Moon Hut" definitely shaped my own musical creation and mindset, and it's still doing so to this very day. I highly recommend checking it out if you can get your hands on it.
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