Review of "KC Booker " - KC Booker
Written by Libby Wait 
CDReviews.com 

[11.29.06]

Occasionally you discover music that is just so fresh you are forced to enjoy it.  Such is the case with KC Booker's self-titled debut.  Booker, also known as Kelleth Chin, is the singer and guitarist for the Los Angeles trio and European hit Big Soul.  While Booker still follows Big Soul's musical approach of blending various musical genres, he focuses in on melding the likes of southern blues, hip-hop, and classic rock.  With this amalgamation of styles, Booker is able to serve up a wonderful debut that offers not only a double shot of energy, but also a fresh approach to music. 

Armed with an acoustic guitar and a boombox (and occasionally accompanied by a drummer and a turntablist), KC Booker is able to fuse together the sounds of classic blues, gritty rock and roll, and energetic hip-hop.  It is this integration of very different musical styles which makes KC Booker's album so novel and intriguing.  "Mojo Wind", for instance, features a bluesy acoustic guitar and Southern-tinged lyrics on top of a simple hip-hop beat and occasional turntable scratches.  "Lulu", another stand-out track on the album, also utilizes a steady drum beat.  In place of the more Southern bluesy sound which he displayed on Mojo Wind, Booker instead includes the sounds of classic rock and even classic punk.  As odd as it may seem to unify two very dissimilar genres such as punk and hip-hop, Booker does so in a way which is surprisingly natural.    

From the very first seconds of the opening track, "Crackerjack", Booker's debut explodes with an infectious and zestful energy.  It seems near impossible to not bob your head to the rolling beats of "White Lightening" or to just stand up and dance to the 60's rock-infused "Butterberry".  This vigor is consistently present through the duration of the entire album.  There is also something intangibly unique about the energy which Booker's music exudes; it is not driven by anger or arrogance like much of todays music is.  Rather, the album seems to be filled with a content and optimistic energy that makes it incredibly uplifting to listen to.

While his catchy mishmash of musical genres is ultimately the most fascinating aspect of the album, KC Booker's vocals merit praise as well.  Booker's voice is pleasantly rough; with a bluesy edge and fairly low range, his voice often sounds similar to that of Beck or Jack White of The White Stripes.  When appropriate, Booker is able to soften his gritty voice.  "Let Me Be Your Pillow", a mellow and summery love song, allows Booker to show off his gentler vocal style.  Booker is able to sing just as effectively in this more delicate style as he is in the more rugged style which he commonly showcases throughout the album.    

Booker's versatile vocals combine with his innovative music to create a solid and highly enjoyable album.  While he has much experience producing music with a group, Booker proves that he is just as competent as a solo artist.  Booker seems to possess an effortless talent to unify very disparate musical genres in a manner that is incredibly fluid and natural.  Although genres such as punk, blues, hip-hop, and classic rock are rarely coupled together, Booker connects them with his inventive approach which in turn creates a unique collection of sounds while also allowing the musical genres to maintain their individual characteristics.  To put it plainly, KC Booker is highly successful with crafting a fresh debut album that fills the listener with its upbeat and joyful energy.   

Review of "KC Booker" - KC Booker
Foxy Digitalis
October 2006

KC [Kelleth Chinn] steps out from behind his Big Soul power trio armed with an oversized beatbox and musical lips that burp, spit and raspberry their way into your heart on his debut solo effort. Like AC/DC crossed with Gary Glitter and The Sweet or T. Rex on steroids, Booker serves up a high energy collection of glitter metal, whether he’s strumming the living sh** out of his overamped acoustic guitar (try “Crackerjack”) or laying down a funky slide on the bluesy “White Lightning.” Accomapnied throughout by scratching DJ Gordo Cabeza, this is a dizzying array of breakbeats, stuttering Porky Pig vocals and scratches – essentially hip-hop for the heavy metal crowd. Of course, this synthesis of what appears on the surface to be two disparate musical styles is not new – the most successful collaboration perhaps being Aerosmith and Run-DMC ripping “Walk This Way” a new one, so it should also appeal to the Korn, P.O.D. and Limp Biscuit rap metal contingent as well.

Booker adds more of a bluesy element to the mix on tracks like “White Lightning” and “Mojo Wind,” conjuring up the “take no prisoners” gumption of Muddy Waters, and “Butterberry” bleeds the high energy, driving force of vintage snarling Stones and old school of rock revivalists like Primal Scream as well as the current elite of Swedish rock, The Caesars, Hives, and Soundtrack of Our Lives. “Sweet Maribel” is another storming stomper with swirling psychedelic backbeats that sounds like Prince & The Family Stone and the spectre of Mick Jones and his Big Audio Dynamite are never far from any of the tracks on display. Hell, Chinn even rips off Pete Townshend’s intro to “Magic Bus” on “Baby Sister!” So if any of these artists sit side-by-side in your record collection, give Chinn a spin.- Jeff Penczak

Review of KC Booker in Concert
Madrid/ El Sol
24 Noviembre 2006
Supernova Pop
JESÚS ROJAS

El proyecto de Kelleth Chinn (ex Big Soul) ha plasmado rock, blues y electrónica en su álbum debut. Fiesta asegurada.

La sala madrileña congregó a una buena cantidad de personas para lo que venía a ser la presentación del nuevo proyecto del alma de Big Soul. A todos los que habían tenido contacto con el disco les rondaba en la cabeza el mismo pensamiento: ¿Cómo se llevará esto al directo? ¿Serán también dos músicos sobre el escenario?

La polémica estaba servida y, como era de esperar, además de Kelleth Chinn y Deane (antiguo batería de Big Soul), había un espacio para las cajas de ritmo y samplers. Aún así, no vayamos a pensar que se trataba de un show de música enlatada. Kc Booker es una banda de rock que introduce elementos electrónicos en sus composiciones de blues, country y hip hop. En el escenario sonaron impecables cortes de su último disco, como "Crackerjack", "White lightning", "Sweet Maribel" o "Lulu", temas en los que la guitarra acústica adquiere especial importancia junto a las bases sólidas de bombo y caja.

Kc Booker se mostraron a gusto con el público y no vacilaron a la hora de rescatar clásicos de Big Soul.

La velada fue emotiva, ya que Kc Booker se mostraron a gusto con el público y no vacilaron a la hora de rescatar clásicos de Big Soul. Es imposible no recordar aquella canción que sirvió para lanzarlos a lo grande, "Hippy Hippy Shake", que fue banda sonora para una conocida marca de cosmética. Con él llegó el delirio colectivo y la sala parecía que se iba a venir abajo. Además, también tuvieron el gusto de recuperar aquel "Let´s boggie", un corte a mitad de camino entre el punk y el funk que no deja títere con cabeza.

Se avecina una gran carrera para este trovador que promete convertirse en el máximo exponente en la renovación del blues-rock.