Keren Ann

Not Going Anywhere

2004-11-26

How's this for an unusual upringing? Keren Ann Zeidel was born in Israel to a Russian/Israeli father and a Dutch/Javanese mother. The family moved from Israel to Holland, then settled in Paris.

Keren's music is well-known in France. She's released two albums there (in 2000 and 2002), has worked on projects of other popular French musicians, and has been nominated for several awards in the French music industry, including Best Female Artist.

Not Going Anywhere is Keren Ann's English language debut. What's immediately striking is her gentle, ethereal voice. It's entirely captivating. The opening track implies an album of acoustic folk songs. However, this album is anything but predictable or conventional. The moods of the songs, enhanced always by that voice, range from delightful to mysterious to dark and disturbing. Some songs feature a children's choir, others an unexpected chorus of horns, an electric guitar blues accompaniment, or lots of strings. Often, you have the sense you're listening to a children's album, but then it shifts to a film noir sound track. Not Going Anywhere keeps you off balance, which is what keeps this album so intriguing throughout the entire set of songs.

Quick Links:

• Blue Note
• Keren Ann's site
• Stylus Magazine
• Popmatters.com