Kid Be Kid – “Blood” [Song Review]

Vocal performance is contemporary R&B, there’s no getting around that. This is a genre founded on the soulful, impassioned delivery of the human voice. Even when it’s reclassified as avant-R&B, as is the case with Berlin-born chanteuse Kid Be Kid, the voice is really front and center. Sure, some delightful jazz-inspired keys spice the proceedings (and effectively recall David Bowie’s post-Tin Machine work, so points for nostalgia right there) but it’s really all down to what she’s doing with her larynx.

Especially when you learn that the gentle electronic percussion accompanying said voice is her, too: beatboxing is hardly what one expects when listening to soft, piano-driven tales of heartache but Kid Be Kid nails down a truly impressive performance on “Blood,” the first release off her upcoming EP, Lovely Genders, releasing on March 20th via Springstoff.

In summation, as a recording artist, Kid Be Kid is nothing particularly novel – “Blood” is a soothing, yet soulful take on jazz-drenched R&B – but as a live performance, expect magic. What Kid Be Kid will delight audiences with is not only a consummate grasp of piano/vocal balance but also a truly unexpected twist on just what the human voice is really capable of. The carnival “one-man-band” sideshow of yore has been reinvented for the new millennium and Kid Be Kid has achieved something rare these days: true originality.

Even though “Monument” is an older song, this official live recording captures the unique performance that Kid Be Kid delivers.

Run Time: 3:53
Release Date: February 14, 2020
Record Label: Springstoff

Upcoming Tour Dates:

March 17 – L’Aéronef in Lille, France
April 02 – Café de la Danse in Paris, France (w/ Becca Stevens)
April 25 – Kito, Bremen, Germany
April 26 – Mojo Jazz Café, Hamburg, Germany
April 30 – Weimar, Germany
May 02 – Bunker Ulmenwall, Bielefeld, Germany
May 08 – Jazzclub Tonne in Kurländer Palais, Dresden, Germany (w/ Ark Noir, Simon Denizart)
May 29 – Schloss Horst inGelsenkirchen, Germany (w/ Julia Kadel)