(December 31, 2020) We first got to know the name Kim Cage Riley when she sang lead on "Stronger Than Strong," the song from former The Time member Jesse Johnson. But Kim also paid her dues working with a who's who of major R&B performers ranging from Peabo Bryson to Ledisi to Deniece Williams.
It was earlier this year when the Waukegan, Illinois native really hit our consciousness as an artist in her own right, as she dueted with Eric Roberson on the excellent single, “Feel A Way,” which was named one of the SoulTracks Top 100 songs of the year.
(December 31, 2020) We first got to know the name Kim Cage Riley when she sang lead on "Stronger Than Strong," the song from former The Time member Jesse Johnson. But Kim also paid her dues working with a who's who of major R&B performers ranging from Peabo Bryson to Ledisi to Deniece Williams.
It was earlier this year when the Waukegan, Illinois native really hit our consciousness as an artist in her own right, as she dueted with Eric Roberson on the excellent single, “Feel A Way,” which was named one of the SoulTracks Top 100 songs of the year.
Now Kim has released her full solo debut album, Family Friends and Favors, and it is all that. A strong songwriter with a sense of classic soul, she is yet another breath of fresh air in a year that has also introduced us to other strong new female vocalists like Tanqueray Hayward and Acantha Lang.
Our newest SoulTracks First Listen focuses on a beautiful ballad from Family, the gently groovalicious “Through My Eyes.” It is a song that looks back fondly at a family relationship but also carries those memories forward into the life that comes ahead. Kim tells us, “’Through My Eyes’ is based on me talking to my parents who are deceased, sharing a few memories from the past, and letting them know that I carry them with me everywhere I go. So now, I feel like, Through My Eyes they can see everything.”
It is a beautiful performance of a song that is particularly relatable at this time of year. Check out “Through My Eyes,” and welcome back the talented Kim Cage Riley to SoulTracks.
By Chris Rizik
Kim Cage Riley
"Through My Eyes"