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Kindness - Welcome To Planet Excellent (Crackerjill Music (BMI) 2000)

by Elizabeth Nitz

   This exciting album features a well-known lineup of veteran California performers. Katharine Chase is the vocal powerhouse and also plays the bass. Her previous role was with Penelope Houston's touring band. Carrie Baum, formerly of Soul Divine, carries the hard-core electric guitar work. The super talented Dawn Richardson, of 4-Non Blondes, provides not only the drum work and programming, she also mixed and produced a good part of the record.

   Sampling is taken from phone messages, TV shows, animals, and every instrument imaginable. "Five Lousy Rotten Days" is reminiscent of early B-52's as Katharine belts, "One glass of pink champagne and everything is wrong again." "Love Doesn't Hurt At All" is a powerful, Luscious Jackson style techno-ballad. For dancing, the pounding "Don't Mention It" sports a blazing horn sample, and "It's No Easy Thing" is an angry synth mix heavy on the production.

   "God Lives In Florida" is a departure from the rest of the harder-edged album. Sounding like an old radio program, this simple, whimsical tune has an undercurrent of ocean waves and sadness. Katharine sings, "God lives in Florida, He's retired to the east, now he never writes." Penelope Houston donates backing vocals.

   As they say on their website, they fuse "hard rock, electronica and groove." This translates into lots of fun. Welcome To Planet Excellent is a first-choice party album. For more information visit www.kindnesstheband.com