Canada's MC-singer-poet-actress-beatnik Kinnie Starr returns with her latest enchanting adventure, Anything. Her effortless smoky vocals sound more original and unorthodox as ever. Raw ballads and optimistic jams showcase Starr's seductive voice, creating a broader poppy palette on this new album out on MapleMusic Records.

Starr began making her presence felt around 1995 with edgy visual arts, graffiti, rhymes, outspoken race and gender politics, decidedly unorthodox performances, stunning good looks and envelope-pushing recordings. This combination earned her a well-deserved and devoted fan base, a record contract with Mercury/Island/DefJam (1996-1999), and an immediate connection with critics and consumers alike. Shortly after signing to MapleMusic, Starr was actually singing for Zumanity, Cirque du Soleil's controversial cabaret production.

With Anything, nothing is taboo. Her brilliant, beat-driven songs are imaginative and fun, coming from a songwriter who can blend folk with gold chains. "You don't appreciate / No room to debate / My eyes don't dilate / Your words have no weight," Starr spits on Step Back, Anything's opening song. It's a bluesy blast-off, embossed with the spirit of self-determination that has defined her career. Step Back is a battle track, but every song afterwards is about Starr's family and private life. Wind In Your Sails is a lyrical riff on a photograph of her parents when they were near her age; Not Enough is "about [my] niece and nephew being born, and wondering if the world will be good enough for them"; Up In Smoke chronicles a cousin's misadventures with a nameless West Coast record label.

The creative core behind Anything is Kinnie, who wrote all of its complex and shape-shifting toons, and John Raham, the drum thunder in Kinnie's live band. The pair recorded and produced the album at Ogre studios in Vancouver BC throughout 2005. Tegan and Sara's Tegan Quinn contributes vocals to the single La Le La La, which was mixed by Howard Redekopp (New Pornographers, A.C. Newman, 54-40).

Kinnie Starr's songs have been featured on "The L Word" and the film "Thirteen". She also been nominated for numerous Juno awards (Canada's version of a Grammy).

Lsten to:

"Anything"
Windows Media | Real Audio

"Rock The Boat"
Windows Media | Real Audio

"Black Brown Eyes"
Windows Media

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