Kim Fox Return To Planet Earth CD

Kim Fox rounds up a stellar cast of supporting players for her second album, Return to Planet Earth. The album is produced by underground pop maverick Linus of Hollywood (he also plays many instruments on the record) and features appearances by Jon Brion, Roger Manning Jr. of Jellyfish and Beck's band, Probyn Gregory of the Wondermints, Stew, and '60s pop heroine Margo Guryan. It is too bad all these talented musicians didn't come up with a more unique sounding record. The sound is stock year-2003 female singer/song-rocker stuff. It could be Michelle Branch; it could be Vanessa Carlton; it could be Sheryl Crow. Not enough of Kim Fox shows through. She has an arresting little-girl-with-guts voice and can write hooky songs; "When Love Was the Only Thing" has a lovely melody and Fox sings the heck out of it, and "Tread This World So Lightly" strips away the pop gloss and showcases Fox's ultra-personal lyrics and fragile voice with very nice results. For the most part, however, the songs rush by unnoticed on a wave of radio-friendly syrup. There are a few moments, on songs like the bubbly disco-pop tune "Baby I Want You Back" (which sounds like an American Saint Etienne) and the girl group-influenced "Lazy," when you can hear how good she could be if the music lived up to the songs and her voice. Fox shows potential on Return to Planet Earth, but she needs to add some soul and inspiration to her sound before she can escape the bonds of mediocrity. ~ Tim Sendra

After her highly acclaimed debut release Moon Hut on DreamWorks records, Kim Fox returns with her latest album Return To Planet Earth (Franklin Castle Recordings). Produced by artist/songwriter/producer Linus of Hollywood (Puff Daddy, OPM, Size 14), Return To Planet Earth retains the orchestral pop whimsy of Moon Hut while exhibiting a more mature emotional and nostalgic introspection. Songs such as "Baby, I Want You Back", "I've Got Music" and "Love X 10" exhibit a self-mocking loneliness produced with driving dance beats and electronic lushness. Songs such as "Feel Like Crying", "Tread This World So Lightly" and "Lazy" harken back to the classic melodies of Burt Bacharach and Hank Williams.With so much time in between her releases, Kim had plenty of time to hone her songwriting craft and live quite an exciting life. She spent many months traveling through India, Nepal and Turkey and became a professional photographer. All these experiences have given Return To Planet Earth a worldly perspective. Kim Fox was born on the Isle of Manhattan, NY. She was surrounded by arts and music at a very young age. Her father, Norman Fox, was the lead singer of the 50's doo-wop group Norman Fox and the Rob Roys who had the hit "Tell Me Why" in 1959. Though they were a one hit wonder, Norman Fox and the Rob Roys were the first interracial recorded rock group in the history of rock and roll. Kim's mom is an art historian and Kim spent many teenage summers in Italy and France going to museums, eating chocolate croissants and bathing topless on the Riviera.Growing up in NYC (home of Broadway) Kim's first intense love was of musical theater. From Grease to Annie to Jesus Christ Superstar, musical theater is still apparent in her pop sound. Then came all that other fabulous 70's music: Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Burt Bacharach, Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor. Kim was in her early teens when MTV made it's debut and attended concerts including the the Violent Femmes, Duran Duran, Howard Jones and the Clash (often times jumping on stage to try and kiss the bandmembers). Kim began writing music in high school after her piano teacher gave her a copy of Laura Nyro's New York Tendaberry - "The most beautiful record I have ever heard to this day" she says. Her first demo tape got her a production deal with the Power Station recording studio in NYC and she played in underage clubs all around town. After a failed attempt at shopping her demos, Kim went off to Vassar College where she developed a love of