K.W.A. – A New Heart

K.W.A. – A New Heart / 2006 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.kwaministries.com / Reviewed 19 May 2006

The opening piano to “He Was There” should be reminiscent to listeners to Des’ree’s “Kissing You”. In fact, the general style of “He Was There” is tracked alongside that song, even if the act adds a considerable amount of gospel influence to the mix. The decision to put the longest track at the beginning of the disc is an interesting one; this gambit has sunk many a band when they have not been able to keep individuals interested throughout. However, even with this Spartan arrangement (piano and drums), K.W.A. keeps individuals interested throughout the entire track.

The only thing htat shows itself to be a problem during this track is that the production of this disc is a little too gauzy for most tastes; this means that individuals are unable to hear the true awesomeness of the vocals during the track, and are forced to hear through them through essentially a few layers of fabric wrapped over the speakers. The interaction that the vocals have with each other and with the instruments is great, but there needs to be something done with this production. If the act would move to a more live type of recording, in which a lot of the production is shucked, this is where I believe K.W.A. would have their largest effect. I simply cannot fathom the power that they would bring to a stage, but all of that is hidden through the production on the album.

K.W.A. has traded a primeval power for the possibility of being on the radio, and I’m not necessarily sure if that is a good tradeoff. The introduction of a three part harmony during “23” is something that keeps individuals interested in K.W.A. even if the instrumentation takes a far back seat to the vocals during the track. At some point, it does not even sound that there are instruments backing K.W.A. up, save for the plinking of the piano at points. The focal point should be the vocals, don’t get me wrong, but there should be a leveling of the vocals and instruments to make a fuller type of sound. K.W.A. is an act with a mission, and while this message is front and center during this disc, it is not something that will decrease enjoyment of this EP. The musical style may be something from an earlier era of music (early nineties), but the fun that one can take from the songs is unparalleled.

Top Track: 23

Rating: 6.0/10

[JMcQ]