STRIPPED (BUT SAFE FOR WORK)
posted in: Artist Features
Tatted Teddybear: Christopher Kevin
Some say less is more. And some take it a step further and say anything other than a guitar, a voice and maybe a couple handclaps is overkill. Adherents to that rule will seriously dig the unfussy melodies of Phoenix singer-songwriter Christopher Kevin.
Though his songs are simple (think the acoustic stylings of Eric Hutchinson), they lack neither vim nor vigor. Sun Comes Up is a cozy, upbeat ditty for warm-hearted innocents. I got breakfast on the table and I’m glad I’m alive,” Kevin sings. Even the would-be gloomy chorus, ‘I’m a broke-down-hearted man and no one seems to understand how I feel” is delivered cheerfully, belying the sentiment.
In Mona Lisa Kevin slows the tempo down to tell a geeky love story about freeing the Mona Lisa from her perch on the wall in the Louvre. You’d groan if it weren’t so damn catchy. Then there’s Dishwashing Blues, where he takes his minor-key strumming to a full canter, urging the melody on with a smattering of handclaps. Kevin’s lively acoustica is enjoyable, even if it’s a tad goody-goody. Put it on when no one’s watching ”we won’t tell.
