From the raw urgency of her early material as a teenager to the confident stomp of her newest album Little Blue Heron, Auburn-based Hannah Jane Kile, 20, flashes a remarkable control of style and form.
Kile plays Barmel on Friday night, joined by backup bandmates Barry Prior and Corey Morgan Strange.
Little Blue finds Kile honoring her Bonnie Raitt influence with pride. But where the OG Raitt can bludgeon the listener with her sheer power, Kile is content to kill them with kindness. Album opener “Warm Your Heart” soars into focus with rolling waves of alt-country guitar riffs and deep, echoed snares. Kile’s voice stamps its presence on the track with warmth and ease: “So say a little prayer for me darling/ tell me that you’re free till the morning/ we can share a dance… let me warm your heart.”
The banjo picking and delicate melody of “September” leads into Kile’s opening lament, “You were mine in September,” before trailing into fond memories of her lost lover. The lyrics tell the story of passion that derives from deep relationships.
While the new material is sonically and lyrically light years ahead in maturity, Kile’s freshman effort, “Becoming Someone,” offers little nugs of folk-pop charm and foreshadowing.
“Train” has vibrant chords and pressing, witty lyrics. “You said you had a scheme, you said that we were going to rob a bank/ and we were on the way until you took us to the lake and then we sank… ”
“Santa Fe” is the closest hint to Kile’s current songwriting direction. It’s a powerful pop counter-punch punctuated by xylophone keys twinkling off in the corner. Kile’s voice edges the depths of someone who can’t take it anymore, before rising with the hope of leaving it all behind. By the end of the song, she’s gone for good and we’re all happy for her.
It’s the sort of poised effort that is hard for a teen to pull off convincingly. Now, several years deep into a promising career, Kile has elevated that demeanor to rival a young queen’s grace and elegance.
HANNAH JANE KILE Friday, Oct. 16, at Barmel, San Carlos and Seventh, Carmel. No cover; all ages before 9pm. 626-3400.
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