Billboard.com Review of Kyler @ Room 5 in Los Angeles
Billboard.com Blogs Review of Kyler England’s show at Room 5 in Los Angeles, July 14, 2007
by Dave Chung July 16, 2007
Without a Billboard-sponsored assignment on the calendar for the second consecutive week, I made arrangements to check out Kyler England and Alissa Moreno on a Saturday night. Having listened to both artists’ music through their MySpace pages, iTunes, personal sites, and demos provided to me, I was already a big fan of both. While Kyler and Alissa were different in style, neither was likely to start waving bandanas and krumping all over the stage to get me hyped. I went into tonight’s show needing a bit of a boost, especially after inadvertently falling asleep on the beach earlier in the day, successfully sponging UV rays out of the atmosphere and earning myself a tan Hellboy would have been jealous of. Thankfully, by the end of the night, I would witness one of my favorite shows I have attended in 23 years of life.
Before England took the stage, the upstairs lounge area was already surprisingly lively and near-capacity, which, so far, has proven to be a rarity. I spotted Kyler whose musical style is inspired by Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan, from my single candlelit front row seat, interacting with friends and fans at the bar. When I approached the bar to order my usual glass of water, England, who has recently had five of her songs featured on long-running soap Guiding Light, surprised me by walking over and introducing herself. Apparently, my fashionably dorky notebook, cell phone, and initials-laden clothing were a dead giveaway. I was flattered and impressed that she took the time to pick me out of the dimly lit lounge to say hello. After our brief introduction, England’s brief warm up off stage, which was so good it could have been recorded and released as a single, could be heard over the lively conversations going on behind me and I immediately realized this was going to be a great night. In no way did Kyler or Alissa disappoint my unfairly high expectations for the night.
Opening up her ten song set, Kyler’s first song “Clean Slate,” which I heard on the radio later that night, managed to quiet the various conversations going on throughout the room in seconds. The whole room became infatuated with her performance - a trend that would continue throughout the night. “Clean Slate” was a perfect song to display her clear, confident voice, and her acoustic guitar was accompanied by some spot-on harmonies that made for a strong opening. The audience returned Kyler’s efforts by cheering raucously, clapping and wooing at the song’s conclusion. This might not seem so remarkable, but in a venue more accustomed to simple appreciative applause than “Take your shirt off, spin it around your head like a helicopter!” (what up Petey Pablo) performances have to be beyond just good to warrant this kind of response. If everyone in a large arena cheered with the enthusiasm of this crowd, you’d think it was Game 7 of the World Series, the Olympics Medal Ceremony, the final match of the World Cup, or Nathan’s 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest (big ups to Joey Chestnut; Kobayashi had it comin’).
Kyler followed up her first performance with a song she called her “only happy love song,” entitled “Sweet Spot.” I couldn’t have been more impressed with how powerful and pitch-perfect Kyler’s voice was all night. “Quittin’ Time” was a ballad with a more country-like vibe than the first two songs and utilized more of Kyler’s upper register. With her friend “Uncle” Paul Kim (who occasionally babysits her cats) on cello, called up to the stage to accompany her, Kyler sang “Carrie” and “I Am Ready To Listen,” both songs that sounded like Sheryl Crow with a small sprinkle of LeAnn Rimes on the high notes and mixed in with a Dixie Chicks ballad-like style, sans Natalie Maines (did that make any sense?). It was difficult to compare England’s voice with any mainstream artists, as it would be with Moreno’s, simply because both own their own styles and perform with a confidence that makes you almost forget that the other artists might have preceded them.
Next up were “Lay It On Me” and “Begin Again,” which were both more upbeat and pop-like. Both songs showed Kyler’s command over her vocals, even when there was heavy use of the upper register of her voice, as was the case in “Begin Again.” I was blown away song after song with how perfect Kyler’s vocals were. Incredibly, England, whose warm personality came through during her interaction with the audience between songs, got the venue’s typically mellow crowd to join her in singing not only “Begin Again,” but the chorus of “All I’ve Got” as well, while England herself tore it up with some passionate runs to close out the song. I don’t want to toot my own horn (insert obvious joke here), especially since Alissa Moreno had since arrived (now take that joke deeper), but I feel compelled to say that England had me singing so passionately I almost wet myself (aaaaaand let’s hear it for double entendres!).
Finishing out the show with the ballads “Simple Machine” and “No More Sad Songs,” Kyler saved the best for last with what I felt like was the most impressive performance of the night so far. I loved every piece in her ten song set; on no less than four separate occasions, I wrote in my notebook, “This is my favorite song of the set.” England’s time on stage felt like one of the fastest hours of my life, because her voice seemed to convert all of us from casual fans to hardcore groupies, groupies who would help carry her guitar cases, who would untangle her audio cords, who would do her laundry, mix sugar and cream into her coffee, and massage her beautiful (I can only assume) feet with unworthy elbows. With the recent release of her new record “Live Wire Volume 2…” and her upcoming East Coast Tour, I have no doubt that Kyler will continue to win over anyone who has the privilege of seeing her perform.