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Kristina Koller: Walk on By
by Konstantin N. Rega
How to tackle a project of cover songs? Well, singer Kristina Koller tells us on her fourth release, Walk on By, a tribute to composing legend Burt Bacharach. With the assistance of pianist and Rhodes player Fima Chupakhin, bassist James Robbins, drummer Cory Cox and some vocal backups, the group meshes with ease, offering toothsome tunes. Koller does not go in for the Karen Carpenter type of silkiness. No, she is a little soulful; rough yet mellow in her vocals. ...
Continue ReadingKristina Koller: Get Out of Town
by Richard J Salvucci
If you do Cole Porter, you are in the big league. Anita O'Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, Susannah McCorkle have all been there and done that. Kristina Koller is a relative newcomer--this is her third album--and is, by choice, in illustrious company. Comparisons are invidious, but what do you do? Imitate? Emulate? Or strike out in a new direction? Koller has mostly set out to do things a little differently, as Oscar Wilde counselled. It was a wise choice to ...
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