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What the critics say
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Scene Magazine
It’s a rare treat when you come across a singer whose voice alone is affecting. Danielle Caruana , aka Mama Kin, is one such singer. Her debut album ‘Beat and Holler’ grabs your attention from the very beginning with her smoky, seductive vocals. Drawing inspiration from her experiences in her lyrics, she has created some really wonderfully depressing songs such as ‘Tore My Heart Out’. Only a couple of tracks slow down the overall pace, but they don’t take anything away from this beautiful repertoire. ‘Beat and Holler’ is an exciting introduction to this talented songstress.
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BEAT MAGAZINE
Mama Kin’s debut album Beat and Holler is surprisingly likeable. Knowing nothing about Mama Kin, except that she married Australia’s John Butler and had helped him with the Seed Fund, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What a welcome relief to listen and be captivated from the first track Love’s Not So Great. Mama Kin’s voice has a distinctive style – one that is equal parts fragile and vulnerable, as it is resonant and rich. A live band backs Mama Kin on each track. One of the key musicians in the band is her brother Michael who plays keys like a motherfarker (Wurlitzer, Nord, Hammond B3, you name it, dude plays it!). The lead single Tore My Heart Out has been making industry waves and is brutally honest and seductive. Check her out if you’re into rootsy blues and folk – Mama Kin may just be your (herbal) cup of tea. http://www.beat.com.au/
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Rhythms Magazine
“Caruana is a stand up rock solid musician…this is a woman with talent.” – Rhythms
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The Herald-Sun
“a fantastic record, a delicious hotpot of soulful grooves, seductive melodies, stomping percussive beats and classic old-world instrumentation” – The Herald-Sun
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Sarah Howells, Triple J Roots N’All
“this year’s next big thing” – Sarah Howells, Triple J Roots N’All
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Album of the week ABC Melbourne
Mornings with Fiona Parker – Album of the Week July 12 – 16
Stong, sassy, raw. Just a few words to describe the music of Mama Kin…but you could also use groovy, soulful, funky and heartfelt.
Mama Kin is Danielle Caruana and her brother Michael. Talented family – their other brother is drummer Nicky Bomba who recently joined the John Butler Trio. Oh, and Danielle is married to John Butler…as mentioned, a very talented family!
Released this month, ‘Beat and Holler’ is Mama Kin’s debut album but they’ve performed live at many venues and festivals, and there was an EP called ‘Papoose’ released in 2008.
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The Sunday Age
Louise Radcliffe-Smith – 3 Stars
It’s taken a while for Mama Kin, aka Danielle Caruana, to get over her famous connections (brother Nicky Bomba, husband John Butler of the Trio) and step out with her own creation. She needn’t have worried about sounding derivative. Her debut album , Beat and Holler, is strongly individual – a kind of swampy soul, pop, constructed around piano, bass and a truly impressive array of jungly percussion instruments (note the shovel on It’s For Me and Brother Michael on Jameson’s whiskey bottle in To My Table). Varied in feel and tempo, with heart-baringly honest lyrics, this is a piano lover’s dream. Key track For danceability, Love’s Not So Great; for a quiet winter afternoon, Your Colour, accompanied by gentle keys and the sound of Fremantle rain
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The Dwarf.com.au by jmk
The lyrical pace of ‘Beat and Holler’ from Mama Kin aka Danielle Caruana draws on personal experiences and relationships- like her many female singer/songwriter contemporaries, with an honest narrative. Supported by her big brother Michael on the rhythm section you can hear they are both big fans of Doctor John, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.
The first single ‘Tore My Heart Out’, is a fine piano ballad showcasing soulful vocal range and raw hurt in such a manner that first time listeners can respond to. ‘I’m Gonna Do It’ – calls on a Fiona Apple power beat which you can dance to. The current single ‘To My Table’- keeps on giving with a Jazzy beat line and just has a sense of fun. Listening to the whole album is a sonic feast. However even though I appreciate the story behind the ballad, ‘Bitter Tears’ I find it overly sentimental and over done.
What makes Mama Kin a standout is her feisty yet sultry vocal delivery – likened to Nina Simone, combined with the swampy blues base line and a hint of ethnic Latin rhythms and African percussion. The Mama Kin clan use beats, clapping along, high spirited hollers and tapping on an Udu, a Nigerian jug instrument, and a Cajon box drum to move the songs along. The instrumental variety also provides a point of interest for their live shows where they have developed their own take on a bluesy New Orleans sound.
Some might suspect this album to be an ego side project for the Maltese-Australian singer produced by Tony Buchan. However, I assure you that the lady has the musical chops to set her apart from her better half Mr John Butler. Hopefully this experience will continue to develop the storytelling from within for this artist.
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Interview with Arts Hub
What did you want to be when you grew up?
To be honest I didn’t dare dream it. I was petrified of disappointing myself. But secretly music bubbled away inside of me, and then I would let it out in the quiet moments and throw my voice around and wonder whether anyone would ever want to hear it.. then I realized it wasn’t about anyone else. I had to sing to be.
What did you become?
I spent many years creating fantastic distractions and tried my hand at a million things, all the while telling myself “who was I to dare to be a musician… musicians are so SPECIAL!!” Eventually I realized I was miserable and I couldn’t hide anymore! I am now a musician, a mama, and a juggler one of the many other hats I wear! Read More
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Beat and Holler Review Soulshine
Mama Kin’s new CD, Beat and Holler, has a great, organic sound that makes you feel as if she is right in the room with you. It’s Latin and funk stylings are no surprise from a girl that was weaned on Aretha Franklin and Joan Armatrading both of whom, like Mama Kin, are fearless singers, not afraid to empty their heart and soul into a note.
On the title track Beat and Holler, Mama Kin sings backed by only short, sharp hand percussion. In this age of Auto-Tune®, Mama Kin’s naked human voice is a wonderfully radical thing. You Tore My Heart Out tells a familiar story, but Mama Kin’s wry jazz delivery seems not to take the heartbreak to heart. To My Table, with its infectious Afro-Cuban rhythms and a bass vamp that smoulders like the Buena Vista Social Club in session, is my pick for the song of the year, so far. But the year is still young. Don’t miss the video clip of To My Table, filmed entirely on Mama Kin’s kitchen table. And, by the way, that irresistible percussion is Michael Caruana tapping a whiskey bottle with the bottle opener. Thank you, Michael, for not being a drum machine.
On It’s for Me Mama Kin’s young daughter Banjo Caruana-Butler, sings backing vocals, and others play instruments including, but not limited to, the glass baking dish, the saucepan lid, and the outdoor chair. The chorus has echoes of Maltese folk music. It is, as jazz great Duke Ellington used to describe his favourite music, “beyond category”.
Yes folks, I am highly recommending this album on which there is an eight year old girl singing, and a grown woman playing a shovel. Listen with your mind open, and you’ll find twelve good reasons why you should treat this Mama (Kin) with respect!
Read The Full Review