AP Track Review
London born singer-songwriter Karima Francis since her debut album "The Author" in 2009 has amassed a beloved fan base. The second LP "The Remedy and Black" shifted the depth of her style. Most recently, intrigued by the L.A. indie folk scene (especially the beguiling Phoebe Bridgers) and maybe wanting an opportunity to shake things up and escape London life she sold a beloved guitar and flew to the City of the Angels. Beneath the shiny glitz of L.A. she found the unimaginable homeless problem and that pain and despair and city's embarrassment flooded into her latest Shelf Life, both the song and the Official Video. The song built on a rootsy 70's-ish garden rock motif feels nostalgic but also timeless and Francis's vocal lilt is stunningly beautiful and moving. I love her aesthetic and when her vocal lilt hits the higher register, her painful wail embraces you with all it's might.
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Robb Donker
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
“A Spectacular Voice” – The Guardian
“In a word, Karima’s voice is stunning. In a breath, she's capable of sweeping from ethereally angelic to devastatingly heartbreaking, a power that has seen her captivate audiences live” - BBC Music
“A natural ability to effortlessly disappear into her songs and make a crowd believe her lyrics” – Clash
Three years on from her last album release (to fans only), self-taught musician Karima Francis returns with an impressive new single Shelf Life, written and recorded in the City of Angels, and immersed in the sound of the West Coast / LA indie revival scene.
Since the release of her debut album The Author in 2009; Karima has been captivating audiences with her stunning voice, and ability to effortlessly sweep from ethereally angelic to devastatingly heartbreaking. Named as the number one act to watch by the Observer and reaching number one spot on iTunes Single of the Week; Karima was quickly invited to perform on the BBC's iconic Later … With Jools Holland TV show. Follow up release The Remedy allowed Karima to transmit her poignant live shows onto record, working with legendary producer Flood (Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Depeche Mode) released by Vertigo Records of the Mercury Music Group.
With the release of crowd-funded album Black passing in 2016, and feeling somewhat stagnant from the pressures of London-living, Karima found herself selling some prized guitars and buying a ticket to LA. Enamoured with the sounds of the West Coast and songwriters such as Jonathan Wilson, Phoebe Bridgers, Blake Mills and Harrison Whitford; she immersed herself in the contemporary sounds and experiences of the City of Angels. Heavily influenced by the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Adrienne Lenker and Big Thief; Karima found the musicality, tone and feel she had been searching for working with Songwriter / Producer Tim Carr.
LA revealed itself to be a city that on one side has it all, in terms of glitz, glamour and perpetual buzz … whilst on the other, is hosting so many faceless human beings; written off in the eyes of their own mind, as well as in the eyes of passing bystanders. Reflecting and contemplating this brutal experience is new single Shelf Life, a poignant offering into the feeling of being discarded. Whether it be our time in the musical spotlight, or our time feeling recognised as a positive part of society – ours is a fragile world of expiration dates and limited shelf-life where nothing is absolute, or comes with any guaranteed permanence.
In confronting her own human fallibility as an artist, Karima found herself profoundly struck by her exposure to the wider manifesting expressions of human infallibility through the epidemic of homelessness in LA. The video for Shelf Life ...
'It's hard on the shelf' ...
Karima has toured the UK and Europe extensively, gracing major stages supporting such artists as Paul Simon, The Stereophonics, Jack Savoretti, Patti Smith and Amy Winehouse.
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