Seasoned songstress Kim Richey has produced one of her most melodic and easy to listen to albums. Chinese Boxes is a must for all Kim Richey fans!

i'm new to kim. i haven't heard any of her alt country stuff and i picked this up on blind faith. i was not disappointed. all of the songs on this album have a alternative/retro pop feel to them. " turn me," " i will follow," and" something to say," get put on repeat alot on my cd player. "drift," is dreamy. i thought it was interesting to hear the sad songs accompanied with happy melodies. Kim's voice is sweet, never whiny. i look forward to digging into her back catolog.

I have liked much of Kim's earlier stuff. Unfortunately, this music is somewhat disappointing. Many of the tunes come off as too pop and they seem to be aiming at a wider audience. They have lost any edginess they might of had mainly due to their overproduction. Occassionally the old Kim shines through but not often enough to rate this effort any higher.

Kim Richey is an excellent artist. I thoroughly enjoyed this cd, I bought it for the sadly sweet song "The Absence of Your Company." I love that song, but also came to love all the songs on the cd, especially the first song about Jack and Jill, she did an excellent job interpretating a new take on that story.

I first heard CHINESE BOXES while on an airplane, of all places. Several of the songs from the album were featured on one of the in-flight radio stations, and I immediately liked what I heard. I love female artists with beautiful voices and even better lyrics (such as Aimee Mann, Imogen Heap and Regina Spektor) and Kim Richey seemed to fit firmly in that mold. I decided to take a chance and get the full CD instead of downloading a few of the singles on iTunes, something I rarely do anymore. I have been far from disappointed by that decision. In fact, CHINESE BOXES has since become one of my favorite CDs and has the honor of being one of the albums I love listening to all the way through time after time.

Several songs on CHINESE BOXES became my obsession for several weeks, being put on constant repeat. These are: "Jack and Jill," "I Will Follow," and "Not a Love Like This." They all have a bit more of a beat than the other songs on the album, which is probably why I like them best. Although I don't listen to them every chance I get anymore, I still absolutely love them and am especially moved by the heartfelt emotion in "Not a Love Like This," where Richey sings of love gone wrong and how she wants to move on to a better, healthier love ("not the kind that leaves me in the wind to twist"). Honorable mentions go to "Chinese Boxes" and "Something to Say" as strong, enjoyable songs.

There are also songs on the CD that I like less than others ("The Absence of Your Company" and "Another Day" spring to mind, mostly because I find them too slow), but there is no song that I actually dislike. CHINESE BOXES is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys strong female artists and great lyrics.