K’s Choice: Little Echoes (album and tour)
by Mark
For those who have never heard of K’s Choice, allow me to introduce them to you. For those familiar with their 90s hit “Not an addict” and sort of lost track, let me re-introduce them to you. K’s Choice is a Flemish band, with siblings Sarah and Gert Bettens at the core. In case you were wondering, despite a hiatus, both singer Sarah and brother Gert (guitarist) continued making music.
In the past they’ve opened for Alanis Morissette and Indigo Girls among others, and toured with Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair caravan. K’s Choice has released six albums, excluding the 2001 live album (simply called “Live”) and a Best Of compilation (10: 1993-2003), with “Little Echoes” being the most recent one. That album can be best described as an unplugged remake of a collection of songs off their album before this last one (“Echo Mountain”), with a few covers and a couple of new songs. If you love harmonies, then you should definitely give “Little Echoes” a listen.
A stripped down version of the band (Sarah, Gert, and keyboard player Reinout Swinnen) is currently touring western Europe, and I attended their January 27th concert. It was all about harmonies – more prominent than on the album. Combine those with Sarah’s husky voice, and it’s guaranteed to give you goosebumps.
Granted, some people say the songs’ lyrics tend to be very simplistic, and cheesy at times, but it’s part of their charm. And you know what? Sometimes beauty lies in simplicity.
Speaking of charm, the Bettens siblings are very approachable; even after all these years in the music business they take time out to personally say hello to their fans, sign autographs, and pose with them. I love that they interact with their fans (during show as well) and acknowledge them, too. I’ll never forget that afternoon in Berlin, Germany (years ago) where a friend and I got the chance to see Sarah and her band (this tour was to promote her first solo album “Scream”) sound check and have a little meet and greet. I’m a shy guy with a soft spot for Sarah, so imagine when I finally got the courage to step up to say hello to her. Later, my friend and I managed to get second row spots, and when Sarah spotted me she looked me straight in the eye and nodded. It took a moment for me to realize she had spotted me, and nodded to acknowledge it. I think I peed myself a little then.
Anyhow, I digress. K’s Choice is not just hugely popular in parts of western Europe; they also have a huge following in Israel. If you haven’t checked out their music, go to their website: www.kschoice.be – or better yet: search the internet for (live) video clips. You’ll notice the band knows how to rock out, too. Sarah likes to interact with the audience (she’s come along way: she used to be very shy, and sing with her eyes closed and not moving around on stage). If you get the chance to see them live: go! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
