Categories: Album ReviewsMusic

Album Review: “What You Find in a Bottle” – Chilina Kennedy

There’s something ernest in a Broadway actress releasing an album that clearly highlights the influence of the Great White Way on her music. Despite its strong roots in bluegrass, americana, and folk, there’s the overarching image of Chilina Kennedy sitting on stage performing any of her thirteen affecting songs off of her debut album “What You Find in a Bottle.”

What makes the album so endearing is its pure honesty. It’s the genre of singer-songwriter at its finest. A simple production that highlights Kennedy’s voice cast against a relatively stripped down orchestration gives the album genuine charm.

The first couple tracks introduce us to the folk infused pop that runs through the album. They’re reminiscent of Colbie Caillat acoustic singer-songwriter style. However, what sets Kennedy apart is her soulful twist and profound lyrics that keep us engaged even when the music doesn’t.

Where the album really takes off is when the folk pop third track “I Wouldn’t Call it Love.” Not only does it work as a more upbeat ballad, but also as a chill sway to the music jam. From there the album forays into an education of folk, bluegrass, and americana with slight digressions into simple acoustic guitar ballads like the album high point “Gold.”

Mid album gem “This Year” rocks on as a bluegrass jam that inspires some foot tapping and head bobbing, but what is more of note is the gorgeous instrumentation that makes strong use of the fiddle, which is reminiscent of indie band Run River North.

“The Gambler” illustrates the album’s ten year origin. Not that it tells the story of the album, but it simply demonstrates the lyrical storytelling that drives the thirteen songs. She questions, “why did listen to the bullshit like I was made for you?” It’s that personal flair that makes the album what it is. Even though the songs may be disjointed, the lyrics carry it through to last you from front to back.

Despite the strong song writing, the album suffers from a weak production. It works for what the album is supposed to be, but you find yourself yearning for it to take off. If the songs were fleshed out and given a full treatment from a producer that could add depth, the overall sound would take off.

Chilina Kennedy is currently playing Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. “What You Find in a Bottle” is available for download on iTunes.

Karl Delossantos

Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.

Leave a Comment
Published by
Karl Delossantos

Recent Posts

‘Wicked’ defies expectations, a fearless movie-musical | movie review

Wicked, the long-awaited adaptation of the smash Broadway musical, finally flies its way into theaters… Read More

4 days ago

<em>No Other Land</em> is the most important documentary of our time | movie review

No Other Land follows a Palestinian activist as he documents the destruction of his community… Read More

2 months ago

Surreal dramedy <em>The Life of Chuck</em> ponders life and death | TIFF 2024

TIFF 2024 | The Life of Chuck follows an enigmatic man starting as a surrealist… Read More

2 months ago

Diabolically fun horror <em>Heretic</em> will make you believe | TIFF 2024

A pair of young Mormon missionaries find themselves at the center of a sinister plot… Read More

2 months ago

Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield charm and fall in love in <em>We Live In Time</em> | TIFF 2024

Moving back and forth in their history, We Live In Time follows a couple through… Read More

3 months ago

<em>Strange Darling</em>, a thriller to die for | movie review

While it begins as a cat-and-mouse thriller, Strange Darling evolves (and genre-bends) into a psychological… Read More

3 months ago