With her new long player, Ghost Of Me, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kashena Sampson delivers a psychedelic folk-rock album tinged with dark indie-pop pigments.
Sampson explains, “This is an album about ignoring the bullshit and doing what’s authentic to me. Forget the rat race. Forget the bad relationships. Forget trying to please everybody. I’m tired of doing that. I wanted to do something for myself, and that’s what ‘Ghost Of Me’ became. It’s an album for me.”
Produced by Jon Estes, Ghost Of Me features the talents of Tom Myers and B.L. Reed. The album moves away from Sampson’s signature Americana sound and takes off in a new direction.
According to Sampson, “I wanted to incorporate more rock influences I grew up listening to. My first two records were full of Americana and country songs, because that’s what I was surrounded by in Nashville, but I grew up listening to Beck, Bjork, the Violent Femmes, Nirvana, and the Pixies.”
Encompassing 9 tracks, entry points on Ghost Of Me include the title track, which, for some reason, conjures up memories of 4 Non Blondes because of its feeling of urgency. A shadow of portent looms over the melody, as Sampson lets loose untrammeled feelings via her beguiling voice.
“Phases” recalls Stevie Nicks, not only because of Sampson’s phrasing and tonal inflections, but because of the witchy textures of the harmonics. A personal favorite because of its retro Patsy Cline-like motion, “Fucked Up Love” tells the tale of love gone bad. But this time, the protagonist begins to heal, moving from toxic dependency to forming her own identity.
Another favorite because of its heavier, edgy surfaces, “Rearview Mirror” thrums with the sensation of introspective realization.
Sampson says the song was written after a meeting at a co-write left her feeling uneasy. “As I sat with the discomfort, the first line came through: ‘I only see it in the rearview mirror.’ The whole experience reminded me of the Death card in Tarot. Not an ending, but a transformation. A spiritual shake-up designed to clear the path for truth.”
Set apart by Kashena Sampson’s entrancing spellcaster voice, always beckoning, Ghost Of Me is perfectly executed.
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