If you’re one of those souls enthralled or cursed with an alien feeling to this time and place, and one of the few antidotes are classic country records from stars past or present, this Kimmi Bitter debut album will land in your lap like manna from the gods .
Few of the other artists we’ve experienced in the modern age astonish with their reinterpretation and revival of the classic sounds of early sixties music like Kimmi Bitter, in the country genre and beyond. For Kimmi Bitter, it’s as much an era as it is a genre, but the epicenter of her passion and influence is the sounds of Patsy Cline and early Countrypolitan country. This is what fills the songs on her exquisitely crafted and delicately refined album The old school.
These are not close approximations. Every last note, texture and square inch of this album feels like 1963 all over again. From the way the music is written, to the instrumentation, to the Jordaner-esque singing and even the little percussive additions, Kimmy and her collaborators have done their homework and then some, and deserve a slow clap for perfectly capturing the era, if nothing else .
Kimmy Bitter has been at it for a while. Devoted followers of Saving Country Music are sure to have come across her stellar 2022 track “My Grass Is Blue,” which was nominated for SCM Single of the Year, or 2023’s “Aquamarine.” The new album finally finds a home for those tunes, but also delivers a slew of new gems that live up to the high expectations Kimmy set for herself with the early singles.
Expect chills to run down your arms and up your spine when you hear what sounds like a ghost from the black and white era of country music rise from your speakers to sing the heartbreaking “I Can’t Unlove You.” You’ll have a good smile when you hear “Get Those Hands Where I Can See ‘Em” as the guitar work in the song really lifts it up and gives the record some guts.
You get the feeling that somehow it doesn’t matter what Kimmy Bitter sings, she sings it in the rafters and all the songs here are great. Although her music comes across a lot of style and imagery to evoke a certain era in some kitschy way, it’s not a gimmick. At the heart of this music is an incredibly gifted and emotional singer who chooses to work in the classic country style, and we should consider ourselves incredibly lucky that she does.
Of course, some of these songs will strike a certain audience as bullshit. On a few songs, Kimi seems to stretch the whole “Old School” approach a little too far, as opposed to starting with a good idea for a song first and then tailoring it to her style. But at other times, she really stuns you with how cleverly she turns a phrase. This also looks like one of those albums that will not only satisfy some old school junkies, but may turn some people on to finding the appeal in this comeback style of country music as well.
As a completely independent and self-made artist traveling the country in her yellow van with her guitarist Willis Farnsworth, Kimmy Bitter also gives you someone cool to fall for. While you almost hate to pull back the curtain on the magic that was made on this album, it’s worth giving credit to Michael Gurley, who is responsible for The old schoolthe *chef kiss* production and also helped co-write the songs. This collaboration, along with pulling out all the stops, is what sets it apart The old school over the top.
You have a feeling that in the coming years, Kimmi Bitter will be one of those names that you start to see popping up all over the place in great festival lineups and filling important playlists. The old school establishes Kimmi Bitter as a serious contender in the classic country realm, and it helps prove that classic country is cool again.
8.4/10
– – – – – – – –
Buy from Kimmi Bitter
