Album Review – Kimmi Bitter’s “Old School”

If you’re one of those souls that is charmed or cursed with a foreign feeling to this time and place, and one of the few antidotes is classic country records from either past stars or contemporary ones, this Kimmi Bitter debut album will land in your lap like manna from the gods.
Few of the other artists we’ve experienced in the modern era stun with their reinterpretation and revitalization of the classic sounds of music from the early sixties like Kimmi Bitter, in the country genre and beyond. It’s just as much about era to Kimmi Bitter as it is genre, but the epicenter of her passion and influence are the sounds of Patsy Cline and early Countrypolitan country. This is what populates the tracks of her exquisitely-crafted and delicately refined album Old School.
These are no close approximations. Down to every last note, texture, and square inch of this album, it feels like 1963 all over again. From the way the music is written, to the instrumentation, to the The Jordanaires-style chorus singing and even the little percussive additions, Kimmi and her collaborators did their homework and then some, and deserve a slow clap for capturing the era perfectly, if nothing else.
Kimmi Bitter has been at this for a while now. Dedicated followers of Saving Country Music are sure to have run across her stellar 2022 track “My Grass Is Blue” that was nominated for SCM’s Single of the Year, or 2023’s “Aquamarine.” The new album finally finds a home for these tunes, but it also delivers a host of new gems that meet the high expectations Kimmi set for her self with the early singles.

Expect the chill bumps to shoot down your arms and up your spine when you hear what sounds like a ghost from the black and white era of country billowing out of your speakers to sing the heartbreaking “I Can’t Unlove You.” You’ll have a good chuckle when you hear “Get Those Hands Where I Can See ‘Em,” while the guitar work on the song really kicks it up a notch and gives the record a little guts.
You get the sense that it kind of doesn’t matter what Kimmi Bitter sings, she sings it to the rafters, and all the songs here are great. Even though her music comes across as lots of style and imagery to evoke a specific era in a kind of kitschy way, this isn’t a gimmick. At this music’s heart is an incredibly gifted and emotive singer choosing to ply her craft in the classic country style, and we should count ourselves as infinitely lucky that she has.
Sure, some these songs will comes across to certain audiences as hokey. On a couple of tracks, Kimmi seems to stretch the whole “Old School” approach a little too far as opposed to starting with a good song idea first, and then making it fit her style. But at other turns she really stuns you with how smart she turns a phrase. This also feels like one of those albums that won’t just satisy some old school junkies, but might convert a few folks over to finding the appeal in this throwback style of country music too.
As a completely independent and self-made artist traveling around the country in her yellow van with her guitar player Willis Farnsworth and bass player Ben Neal, Kimmi Bitter also gives you someone cool to root for. Though you almost hate to pull the curtain back on the magic that is made on this album, it’s worth giving credit to Michael Gurley who is responsible for Old School‘s *chef kiss* production, and also helped co-write the songs. It’s this collaboration, along with pulling out all the stops, that puts Old School over the top.
You get the sense that in the years to come, Kimmi Bitter is going to be one of those names you start seeing pop up all over the place on cool festival lineups and populating important playlists. Old School establishes Kimmi Bitter as a serious contender in the realm of classic country, and one that help proves that classic country is cool again.
8.4/10
– – – – – – – –
Purchase from Kimmi Bitter
March 29, 2024 @ 7:34 am
I found Kimmi because of the SCM playlist and pre ordered the album last week. Really enjoying this lady.
March 29, 2024 @ 7:35 am
Thanks for introducing me to Kimmi, Trig. Aquamarine and My Grass Is Blue will always be on my playlist, but the 60s concept feels gimmicky and hollow as a full album. Her voice remains dreamy as ever, though.
March 29, 2024 @ 7:41 am
Chills. CHILLS.
I gotta get a copy of this. But oh how i wish there was a physical version i could buy right now.
I may be in the minority of diehard SCM readers, a community that seems to love and cherish the outlaw era most of all, in that, besides the early stringband days of Uncle Dave Macon, the Skillet Lickers and Roy Acuff, my favorite era in country music is the nashville sound.
I LOVE nashville sound artists. for me, the early sixties WERE the best years for commercial and non-traditional (by those standards) country music.
I think the fifties and sixties were the greatest decades for all commercial music, really.
March 29, 2024 @ 8:01 am
Totally agree with you!! Love this album. Excited for her future in country music.
I also LOVE the Nashville Sound. Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, etc–gold. Same with Countrypolitan sounds like Glen Campbell. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Bakersfield sound too (esp. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard) but I’ve never been critical of the Nashville sound. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
March 29, 2024 @ 9:36 am
We have both vinyl and CDs available on our website.
https://www.kimmibitter.com/merch
March 30, 2024 @ 5:43 am
Unreal sound.
I can’t get access to website though, saying it’s sending “an invalid response”. I’m in Northern Ireland.
March 29, 2024 @ 11:12 am
I bought the CD from Kimmi’s website and have been playing it for two weeks now. See the link in a reply from her guitarist, Willis.
March 29, 2024 @ 2:43 pm
Thanks for the info! Just purchased.
March 29, 2024 @ 3:13 pm
I’ve heard several men doing either Nashville Sound or countrypolitan stuff really well in recent years. The obvious one is Zephaniah Ohora, but some others with that sound on at least some tracks are:
Johnny Falstaff
William Beckman if I’m remembering right
Sterling Drake on some of the Roll The Dice tracks (he sounds totally different on other releases, that guy is really versatile)
Logan Ledger
Others who’ve done this sort of sound include Charlie Marie, Bobby Dove, Mamma Coal. Maybe Victoria Bailey? Some old k.d. Lang too.
I’d love to hear about more, I know that the countrypolitan and the Nashville Sound are not the same thing but they both evoked this kind of overproduced pop of the ’60s and ’70s and it’s really interesting when modern artists do them without the overproduction part.
I’ll update that section of my Independent Country by Subgenres document if anybody has additions to this list.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E4rYG4AWUW0zIp_vuEugfXC2TPU9jal0e4CL17C-p68/edit?usp=drivesdk
March 29, 2024 @ 7:44 am
Wow!
March 29, 2024 @ 7:47 am
There is a cheese factor to this, but I love cheese. And I would rather have 20 copy cats of this vs most of the *ladies* making country albums these days.
March 29, 2024 @ 9:35 am
Had the pleasure of watching her and her band this past Wednesday in Sante Fe. Simply incredible. Kimmi can sing like no other and her guitar player is one of the most talented guitar players I’ve ever seen, shifting from genre to genre.
Hoping for a live album release one day, her band is hot!
March 29, 2024 @ 10:14 am
Why this artist and songs are not #1 is a true travesty. This should be what is burning up the charts and not the imposters that continue to claim they are country.
April 2, 2024 @ 6:47 am
I think it has to do with Kimmi actually making the kind of album she wanted to make out of sheer love for the musical style she wanted to resurrect in our time, which here is the 1960-1964 Nashville Sound style of pop-country, particularly Patsy Cline. instead of just deliberately provoking a reaction. She really belived in what she was doing; and you really need to have that kind of belief. As Linda Ronstadt, whom Kimmi has also claimed as an influence has said, “If you’re working for prizes, you’re in big trouble.”
March 29, 2024 @ 5:04 pm
It’s a random era of country niche that isn’t getting covered that much these days and she crushes it. Loved the album
March 30, 2024 @ 7:12 am
Kimmi Bitters voice is incredible! Shes beautiful and I dig the whole 60’s vibe attire. She well spoken while doing radio interviews and with her audiences. She is the whole package skyrocketing to the top as she should be. Her band is amazing with Willis blowing audiences away with his guitar skills and Ben Neal killin it on the upright bass. They have charisma and make one hell of a trio! I wish them all the success they have worked so hard for and truly deserve.
April 17, 2024 @ 12:43 pm
I’ve been looking forward to this album ever since I heard “my grass in blue” here on SCM, and Kimmi does not disappoint! Amazing vocals and production….a real gem!