BONNIE PINK - Heaven's Kitchen

Bonnie Pink's first full album is a collaboration with Cardigans producer Tore Johansson, who brings her songs a broader palette of instruments -- slide guitar, hip-hop shuffle beats, horns, vibes, and some delicious keyboards, including Fender Rhodes piano and a Wurlitzer -- than on her Blue Jam mini-album. Though Pink writes all the songs, Johansson has shaped each into a little pop gem; gone are the extended jams of the previous outing. The first four tracks are probably the strongest opening of any Japanese rock record in years, including the single and title track "Heaven's Kitchen," "It's Gonna Rain," and "Do You Crash," the latter of which indulges in Beatlesque arrangements and variations on a descending chord sequence in the chorus. Read More