This review is by DCist Staff Writer Jacques Ntonme.

It is common for rockers to dabble in guitar albums. The Metallicas and Van Halens of our period, however, rarely truly achieve the guitar album because they get caught up in silly solos, vamping, or their own long hair. Other heirs to the empty throne of Hendrix, such as Bloc Party, rock but lack radically novel ambitions. Perhaps it’s because they’re focusing on making rock music so much. Which is where Kaki King seems to come in. Hailing from Atlanta by way of NYC, Kaki (yes that is her real name) sidesteps the entire rock question entirely. The wild, jazzy, and melodic “voice” of her guitar on her first album, Everybody Loves You, challenges the rock n roll cred-tocracy with its own brand of fire and wit. The medium of this message was Kaki’s finger-style picking, two-handed tapping, string rubbing, and occasional above-the-neck finger play. Seeing her perform is more akin to enjoying a jazz or blues veteran rather than a rock show. You really watch her play when you see her, you wonder how she makes those sounds and how they manage to be strung together when you listen to the album.

On the strength of her impressive 2003 debut, Kaki King was signed to Epic Records. Epic released her second album, Legs to Make Us Longer, which combined an expansion of her earlier guitar innovations with the assistance of new instruments and guest performers. Though the album was well received, earning her a cover on Acoustic Guitar magazine, she had an acrimonious split with Sony BMG, Epic’s owner. With an album of new material waiting to be released and Kaki between labels, she has been touring to keep active.

Opening for Kaki was Devin Sproule, a folkie from Charlottesville, VA. Though her transition from talking into playing was sometimes awkward and tense, her performance was generally good. Her guitar playing delved into progressive rock progressions from time to time, which added an edge to her music. Her voice and delivery were beautiful, though the lyrics rang of cliché on occasion. The last two songs of her set were notable in the excitement and emotional drama they wrung through the crowd.

Taking her place between three guitars – a solid wood bodied electric, a pedal steel guitar, and her signature Ovation, Ms. King moved that energy forward. Grabbing for one of the three was like her grabbing for a genre, the pedal steel for her newer experimental stuff, the Ovation for percussive rhythm, and the wood body for straightforward pop or prog rock.

Kaki’s professionalism is displayed in the look as well as the sound of her musicianship. Her posture stays so rigid, it looks as if she is about to snap. Watching her switch chords in rapid succession on one song was like looking at a really low-framed 1930s movie. The precise repetition of the chords was aurally and visually enthralling, despite the unorthodox nature of the playing and chord choices.

She also has great timing. For the percussion of one song, the heel of the right hand sounded off like a metronome even though she was doing full duties on guitar at the same time. On “Playing With Pink Noise,” she shocked everyone with her unrepentantly full “accompaniment” to her own playing, as well as her ability to tap out fairly complicated drum patterns on the shell of her guitar. An exemplary case of dedication, she also superglued one of her nails back on (it was falling off from her style of playing) before the show so she could play.

The expansion of her abilities, as well as shortcomings, through her work on steel pedal guitar was the most apparent feature of the evening. Using her steel pedal, pre-programmed samples, and some great on-the-fly looping, Kaki built up Bossa Nova-laced rallies and sumptuously thumping valleys. Think “Koopa Beach” in Mario Kart, then think of one person doing all that by themselves. She used the same instrumental set-up to sculpt a song out of progressively looped material in a technique pioneered by Kraftwerk.

That being said, her performance was sometimes bogged down by the steel pedal and looping technique. Some songs suffered from repetition of uninteresting or simply “noisy” chords, some songs failed to achieve any kind of resolution and felt stopped more than finished. Perhaps it is the price paid for experimentation. It also feels strange when she strays from her instrumental formula into vocals, as they don’t often accommodate the niche of technical skill Ms. King has formed for herself. That is not to say she can’t play and sing – her covers of two Morrissey songs and her own “Meow” song were alright. It’s just that it is not what Kaki seems to be best at, and her virtuosity makes her singing appear that much weaker by comparison.

Though a self-described “lower-level” NYC artist, Kaki had a group of fans at Jammin Java many would kill for. Attracted to music that transcends scenes, led by a rather humble persona, the fans are varied in age, gender and background, but connected in their enthusiasm. She took opinion polls of the audience about what the name of an unreleased song should be, and what she should play for kids at a hospital in NYC next week. Her banter and stage presence were felt throughout the crowd, though she never moved. Performing one of her rare vocal tracks, “The Meow Song,” she asked the audience to sing with her. People were hesitant at first, but jumped in when she chided, “I know you all want to ‘Meow’ [sing the chorus], but you can’t until you sing.” Best of all, the audience was full of fans, as young as 5, as old as 60. Many were young suburban kids, but many were also parents, or women with bigger, if not big, hair. When Devon mentioned hipster fave Mates of State, most of the audience just blinked. And unlike shows at some venues in D.C., people kept their mouths shut for the duration of the show.

Kaki’s only hurdles seem to be nagging record label issues and getting her next album out. Her banter was mainly about being in-between projects. Her second Moz cover, "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself,” is an indictment of the record industry. When I heard “I've been stabbed in the back/so many many times/I don't have any skin,” I know that where there is smoke, there is fire. But never fear, Kaki assures us that the new album will be coming out “before summer.”

Picture taken by Miscelena.