
It's worth nothing that Jay's voice wasn't brilliant--he was probably be the first to admit it. His vocals probably weren't strong enough on their own to carry an act, and this might have been what was holding Jay back from a successful solo career. That said: There are some pretty affecting vocal turns on the album. "Twice A Year" is an aching mid-tempo ballad which is perfectly complemented by Jay's weathered, tobacco-scarred voice. The organic tangibility that 2006's The Magnificent Defeat lacked is present in droves on Kicking.
More than anything, Kicking The Perfumed Air confirms that we lost an immense talent last year. Jay was as slick a musician, arranger, and producer as there was, and we can only hope his final years were more fulfilling than we might bed led to believe. Despite his ousting from Wilco and his inability to reclaim much national attention, Bennett earned a living doing what he loved. It's more than a lot of us can say.
Download the album here.
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