Out

Gaba Kulka has been labelled as the Polish Kate Bush, but this does her a disservice. Yes, there are moments where the similarity either in compositional (e.g. "Królestwo i pól'") or singing (e.g. "Death Won't Save the Day") style is striking. However, Gaba Kulka shows much versatility and breadth of influence: jazz, folk, blues, classical, pop, metal (the latter is almost undetectable on this album).Though eclectic, "Out" benefits from a unifying thread provided by her own unique sound, which lends a light touch to wonderfully dark songs such as "This City" and "King of Rats", but can send an unexpected shiver down your spine during lively tracks such as "In the Lens" and "New to Somebody". This is principally due to subtleties of touch and timing on the piano/keyboard, but is strengthened by a remarkable quality of production (for such a little-known artist), so good that I do not notice it unless I try to.Weak points? Anyone will find their own in such a wide-ranging album, but they are quibbles. I find the dual vocal/piano melody that opens the title-track irritating, and "Shark", which veers towards barber-shop in places, to be nothing more than background music. Occasionally, I think Gaba Kulka tries too hard not to take herself seriously, but the knowing air which inhibits my enjoyment of her 2009 album "Hat, Rabbit" (which is still very good) is rare enough on "Out" not to be a problem. It is perhaps most prevalent on "Spitting Image" and "Rolemodels", and I love the latter song, in particular, despite myself.I gather that Gaba Kulka is now famous in Poland (and rarely called Gabriela Kulka any more, as she was on the 2006 release of this album), but not so famous that you cannot still hear full-length tracks via her own website. This is worth doing because "Out" deserves international attention. The singing is captivating, the musicianship is even better, and the composition is best of all. I cannot think of a finer studio album from the 00s.