Kirsten Peckham: KP Time!

By mixing melancholy, flexible indie-folk and velvet-voiced soul, Kirsten Peckham’s album KP Time! creates a compelling framework for stories of love, lust, serious contemplations and tongue-in-cheek strangeness. As a vocalist and lyricist, Peckham’s piercing singing and gripping lyrics have an intrinsic, subtle power — there aren’t grandiose gestures, but rather smart, short, well-crafted songs that highlight Peckham’s rich voice and deepest thoughts. Instrumentally, things are generally jangly and smooth, although with idiosyncratic undercurrents and a few oddball left turns. It’s a roller coaster ride that isn’t afraid to unveil a wide range of emotions.