Owens, Kelly Lee - Inner Song (Black Vinyl)

Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song (Black Vinyl)

Kelly Lee Owens' masterful second album Inner Song finds the convention-blurring techno producer and singer/songwriter diving deep into her own psyche-excoriating the struggles she's faced since the release of her breakout 2017 self-titled debut and exploring personal pain while embracing the beauty of the natural world. It's a leap in artistry from a musician who burst forth on the scene with a confident, rich sound, and Inner Song is endlessly enticing when it comes to what Owens is capable of. Inner Song comes off of what Owens describes as "the hardest three years of my life," an emotionally fraught time. "It was definitely impacting my creative life and everything I'd worked for up to that point," she explains. "I wasn't sure if I could make anything anymore, and it took quite a lot of courage to get to a point where I could make something again."

So while the lovely cover of Radiohead's "Arpeggi" might strike some as an unconventional way to open a sophomore effort, to Owens the winding take on the classic tune represents the sort of sonic rebirth that's so essential to Inner Song's aura. "I'm a massive Radiohead fan, so it's sacrilege in a way," she chuckles. "But I wanted to give my take on a track that always sounded like running through synth arpeggios to me. To me, it sounds like rising out of something quite bleak and hopeless, and resurfacing-a comeback from where I was at."

Tracklisting

1. Arpeggi
2. on
3. Melt!
4. Re-Wild
5. Jeanette
6. L.I.N.E
7. Corner of My Sky Feat. John Cale
8. Night
9. Flow
10. Wake-Up