Ken Ledbetter-Songsmith

"Fixated on Sound" When my newest friend, Ken Ledbetter, offered to let me listen to his partially edited record, Tambourine, I was immediately honored by the level of trust our connection was taking us. Only the humblest of musicians I have ever met share their work before "near perfection" has been recorded. The second I heard my first sound-bite, I knew I wanted to help him describe this creatively inspired, uniquely sounding album. The quirky lyrics, the contagious melodies and the surprising harmonies quickly got under my skin and now they are impossible to get out of my head. Although we have known each other just a short time, I've listened to Ken discuss his desires to work musically as "a soloist" whenever possible--I was intrigued by the multiple vocals on some of the tracks, and when questioned, Ken replied, "I did all the vocal tracks including backing vocals. Sometimes you are hearing as many a six vocals at once." This is definitely an inspiring new definition of the phrase "playing with yourself." At times I have been so filled with familiarity to this entirely new music it forced me to attempt to place the sounds and style. Certainly Ledbetter's influences by Tom Petty & Bob Dylan are present, but less noticeably, touches of Kevn Kinney, REM and The Silos. These nuances blend together in a creatively mesmerizing tapestry of sound. When I insisted Ken share with me what inspired him to create music so I could get some perspective to assist him in writing this piece, he said something to the effect of, "I've been writing for 28 years and finally decided to document my music so it doesn't become lost in time and digital distribution makes the process more palatable for both the artist and consumer." So what, then Ken Solo, is the REAL reason you are spelling out this journey..."My lyrics are really a train of thought process. Almost like looking at a series of paintings. Each line or verse may represent one painting so the listener must view all the different paintings to get a sense of the song's direction." This album is certainly NOT a train wreck--more like a modern art museum displayed on a traveling train exhibit, and we are en route. I love where Tambourine is taking me and I am thoroughly enjoying the ride. Next stop; Auralgasm. ~Nissa Ching ~Artistic Humanitarian Singer/songwriter Audio Engineer Producer Fun person Maker of excellent sweet tea