Search - Kyle Lardner :: Sail Among the Stars

More than just a pretty face...piano pop with a nice edge an

Larry Davis | NYC/Long Island, NY | 09/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kyle is a 19 year old newcomer from Long Island, NY who has the full package. She's a singer/songwriter/keyboard player who has more talent than people will give her credit for. Firstly, people will see her face and looks and their first reaction will be not to take her seriously. I never understood this mentality, to be honest.



BUT, pop on her short-but-sweet 10-song debut, "Sail Around The Stars", and you will come to your senses, like "wait a minute, this is the same girl??? I hear something special!!!" I'm not trying to overhype Kyle because it would just come off as empty and meaningless...her style WOULD fit nicely on radio and would appeal to a few demographics, from teens to moms to pop fans of all stripes...BUT what sets her apart is the quality of her songwriting...better than your usual pop pablum with really good catchy melodies...she has a good, strong, wide-ranging, attractive pop voice...and Kyle's lyrics are not cliched at all!!! The songs range from the sweet innocent love musings of the first single and leadoff track "Blanket Song" (the song that got my attention when I was referred to her music on her Myspace page via messageboard The Velvet Rope), to the fun "Costa Rica" which beats Shakira at her own game (I can hear cool remixes done for this song, and it's a MUST for a future single), to the actual social & political commentary of "Moral Amnesia" (where she mentions the Iraq war and Al Gore & his flick "An Inconvenient Truth"!!!) without being trite, to the loud piano powerpop of "All The Things (You Never Say)" (this song will haunt your dreams without annoying you), and the gorgeous ballad "Neverland" (the first song Kyle ever wrote and shows how special a songwriter she really is).



All 10 songs are killer, no filler, 34 minutes and change, and "Sail Among The Stars" is as accomplished a debut as any you'll hear all year. It gets better and deeper with each listen, and what boggles the mind is what Kyle is capable of with each future record. PLUS, she's killer and even BETTER live, oozing talent, energy, beauty and charm...her band was really tight and the songs rocked harder than the record.



The record doesn't make this obvious, coming off as completely unassuming...well, she IS the real deal, and in 1 year, you will know her name...Kyle Larder...future superstar..."