Chantal Kuegle – Chantal Kuegle

It’s
another one of those worn out, rainy days; if those two descriptive adjectives
can even go together. I’ve never heard of this singer before, and to tell you
the truth after a nice dinner filled with shrimp, squid and steak I can’t even
garnish enough energy to type the name in for a preliminary investigation. So,
here it goes:

            Never
Alone starts up and instantly I’ve fallen in love with her voice. It could
also be due to the fact that my wife and daughter are on the other side of the
world (Taiwan) for the summer and I’ve been taking advantage of the time to
really finish a book, set up a literary press, and help a few of my friends by
editing and critiquing their work. The lyrics of this song really strike a
chord with me. I’d love right now for my wife to be pouring this ego-expanding
bourbon through my earphones (minus a morning hangover).

            Now
That I Get to Drive is next. Hey wait a minute. That sweet voice was given
a license. What a shame it also sounds as if she lost her virginity in the
backseat before and was then kicked to the curb. She definitely feels like
she’s got something to prove in this one. I’d hate to be the unsuspecting guy
who did it, this song makes her sound like she’s now infected with some sort of
angry ‘stalker syndrome.’

            Yup, I was right. One and Only proves it. I got a bit of
advice for this guy she’s singing about, “You better run away fast. Run far,
far away. Stuff a backpack and get the hell outa Dodge.” Whoa, I gotta take a
break. Let me think, did I ever meet this girl. Because now I’m going to check
all the doors and make sure the windows are locked too. I wonder if it’s
possible to dead bolt windows, or if it’s too late to board them up. Will the
neighbors call the cops if they hear me hammering the concrete nails in?

            Okay, I’m back. I just smoked a few
cigarettes and took a look around. We do have neighborhood watch, so I believe
I’ll be safe. Simple Kind of Beautiful
is the next one. It’s a very calming song with a sweet melody. Now, there’s the
girl I met on the first track.

            The last song is Why. The grammar check hit it because I
didn’t put a question mark but it didn’t have one in the title. This song
lyrically is just scary knowing the second and third tracks. It has those
beautiful sounding vocals, but when you listen to them it’s an even scarier
kind of stalking.

            Overall, Chantal Kuegle should go
back and stick with what best works for her. If she wants to just have an
over-obsessed female following than she should stick with those songs. In my
personal opinion, The album bounces back and forth like it was all put together
during ‘that time of the month.’ She does have a great voice and I believe that
sooner or later it’ll come together. On this album it just doesn’t.

Jeremy Frost for Country Music News International