Kelli Ali - Rocking Horse

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4...according to our Business Lady on Tue 05 May, 2009.

Kelli Ali was the singer of Sneaker Pimps back in the mid-nineties whose singles '6 Underground' and 'Spin, Spin Sugar' used to bug the hell out of me, I was even unfortunate enough to have perform '6 Underground' as part of a module of my music production course!!! It was well pecking I tell thee!!! Nowadays Kelli Ali plies a more respectable trade as a solo singer/songwriter and 'Rocking Horse' is her third full length record. Kelli has moved away from the electro music of previous outings to embrace the acoustic guitar in an attempt to craft a magical sort of modern folk pop. I guess the big news is that it's produced by Max Richter who has done a top job recording this LP. The music is light, ethereal and charming in it's own way with Kelli adopting a sweeter tone to her voice that makes her sound like a little naive child lost in the big bad world. In parts this sounds like the soundtrack to Wicker Man with its tasteful use of strings, flutes and acoustic guitars but for the most part this is modern pop with a folksy spin from an artist who is clearly making an effort to produce mature and distinctive sounding records.

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Kelli Ali (Former Lead Singer of Sneaker Pimps ‘6 Underground’ & ‘Spin Spin Sugar’) Returns with her spellbinding third solo album ‘Rocking Horse’.

Rocking Horse was produced by Max Richter (Producer of Folk Legend, Vashti Bunyan's album ‘Look Aftering’ Composer of ‘The Blue Note Book’ and ‘Memory House’ Fat Cat Records).

Released in the U.K. on Indie label One Little Indian Records (Bjork, Alabama 3, Asobi Seksu) in November 2008, Rocking Horse received critical acclaim from British tabloids and music press, including The Sunday Times, Q, Terrascope, The Independent and The Guardian.

Recorded in Edinburgh, over a three month period in 2008 'Rocking Horse' is a unique exploration of modern folk and contemporary classical music, a magical and skillfully crafted collection of hauntingly beautiful songs, written by Kelli whilst she traveled through Mexico and California.

Turning to an acoustic guitar for inspiration, Kelli Ali has taken an entirely new and refreshing musical direction for her ‘Rocking Horse’ album which leads away from her earlier electro pop/rock routes (Sneaker Pimps, ‘Becoming X’ album and previous solo albums, Tiger Mouth and Psychic Cat) and into a darker, more folk inspired, fairytale for lovers of classic, timeless songwriting.

Shimmering string quartet and flute arrangements, cor anglais and vintage organs, entwine beautifully with the masterful acoustic guitar playing of Marc Pilley and the minimalist haunting piano work of Max Richter (nominated for a Cannes Award 2008 for ‘Waltzing with Bashir ‘ soundtrack).

Kelli's ethereally light and crystalline new vocal approach, spiriting such magical songs as 'One Day at a Time' and 'September Sky' evokes the hypnotic essence of daydreams. 'The Savages', a mediaeval nursery rhyme for the damned and dispossessed and the title track ‘Rocking Horse’, conjure a tapestry of slow burning, deeply provocative musical gems.

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