There is a distinctive sound that country music fans will know well, that authentic emotional strain that lets the audience see a country girl singing from the heart. The country world calls it “soulful.” It is a sound made famous by some of the country’s defining women, carried from the 70s into the new millennium by Faith Hill and Alison Krauss. Any country fan who listens to Kim Brogli’s new single, “What a Waste,” will hear it right away. Her inspirations are clear. They are classic and indisputably country.
Kim’s got the background to go with the voice. A home-grown Tennessee native whose mother sang like an angel in the choir, Kim took to poetry early. She did not turn this into a musical career until much later, however, when she was a mother of two with a real estate career behind her. She learned to play the guitars she bought for her sons. From there, it was a matter of time and passion. Some work with a vocal coach, some poems turned into songs, and a few singles on Instagram were enough for producer Will Gawley to find her and take interest. He heard that classic sound, the distinct soulful voice of the country woman, and wanted to put it on a fully produced EP.
The songs on Kim’s debut EP, The Fight, are co-written with songwriter James Dean Hicks, who has written for some of country music’s most celebrated women, including Wynonna Judd, Reba McIntyre, and Alison Krauss. Hicks knows what a voice like Kim’s can do, and the two of them created an EP with just the kind of honest, emotional country that defined the genre at the turn of the millennium.
On October 13, Kim released her single, “What a Waste,” and its accompanying music video. The song deals with addiction and the pain it brings. It is a hard-hitting subject presented in skillful songwriting with elegant vocals in the artistic alchemy at which country music excels. This is the second single from the EP, which will be released later this year, and it is only the seventh song uploaded to her Spotify page.
The song and video evoke a very classic kind of country. A sentimental piano intro gives way to a catchy, cool guitar with plenty of twangs and gentle percussion to add a light punch to just the right notes. In the video, Kim walks on a windy beach with her white dress billowing to symbolize the power of the emotion lifting her voice, while the video cuts to shots of a relatable family drama. The music moves patiently and powerfully, gaining strength through its chorus as the story in the video reaches its conclusion and then fades to highlight the singer’s voice in the last few lines. To country fans, the video will have a nostalgic feel, bringing to mind the kind of country ballad music videos that dominated CMT in the 90s.
Time will tell what will become of Kim’s musical career. For now, “What a Waste” is a worthy musical accomplishment for any Tennessee native and a trip into memory for the country fans who know this kind of music best. You can find the video on Kim Brogli’s YouTube channel or listen to all her music on her Spotify.
