Perfect Jump is the first single and music video to be released from Káren Hunter’s stunning new album ‘Rubble’.

A perfect summery song, the video features an office-bound worker who flees his humdrum existence to make the Perfect Jump into a nearby swimming pool while Káren and band are playing poolside. This video is sure to strike a note in every 9-5er prone to gazing wistfully out at blue sunny skies while chained to their desk in front of a computer.

Perfect Jump can also be seen as a metaphor for making a change in your life – daring to abandon the comfort of the everyday for a leap into the unknown.

Cinematographer Richard Harling has worked on numerous music videos for Minuit, Katchafire, Don McGlashan and many more as well as being in demand for features, documentaries and TV commercials.

Director James Solomon recently made the Batucada Sound Machine video ‘Tremblin’ and is currently directing and producing ‘Nga Ahurei Raumati’, a six part series for Maori TV about New Zealand festivals.

Simon Sweetman, Dominion Post
May 2007

‘Rubble’ is a stunning and varied set that grows with each listening. Helped by some fine guest players (including the rhythm section of Aaron Coddel and Ron Samsom). Káren has created an intense listening experience. Some of the reed voicings (such as on Authority) sound like US sax master David Sanborn, and her voice is often reminiscent of Ricki Lee Jones at the height of her Chuck.E’s in Love fame. The 12 largely jazz/blues tracks were all written, recorded and produced by Káren, mixed ( and partially recorded) by Nicholas Rogan. To me, it’s her guitar playing that steals the show, she displays so much scope and taste throughout. This CD is a real treat.

Peter Dent, NZ Musician Magazine
April/May 2007

Karen Hunter is the new bohemian Jones girl, where gloriously vivid Tom Waitsian narrives ‘Mr Whippy Rides Again’ and ‘Make My Day’ rub shoulders with the jazz trippy ‘Drunk and Disorderly’, the torchy ‘Kids in the Hall’ and smoky ‘Oblivion’. ‘Rubble’ is almost the album she was born to make. **** (4 stars)

Mike Alexander, Sunday Star Times
March 2007

You can’t help but get down to the skulking bass grooves on Drunk & Disorderly, the first song off Karen Hunter’s third album.
Then there’s Fight or Flight, a delightful and breezy blues jaunt with beautifully brushed beats. Compared with her past work, which moved from classic singer/songwriters moments to outbreaks of raucous rock (2001’s Inside Outside), Rubble is refined, more consistent in musical mood, and more accessible.
**** (4 stars)

Scott Kara, New Zealand Herald
March 2007

(Rubble) is much more musically coherent than her previous outings and in places owes more than a little to the early sound of Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones.
But those are only the most obvious references and keen ears will hear much more in the emotional depth of these songs. And some strange soundbeds for her lyrics.
Karen Hunter is one of a kind, and this album is further proof of that.

Graham Reid, Elsewhere
March 2007

Instead of Hunter’s longstanding mix of acoustic heartfelt folksy pop, her forth-solo album Rubble is heavily infused with deep dirty jazz and a smidgen of alt-country. A visual comparison could be imagining a worthy performer that always appeared on stage unadorned in jeans and work boots and then made herself over to appear in a sequined slinky dress and heels. This transformation (which has come about after Hunter has spent the last few years in formal study of her craft) has made for a rich languid recording with a beauty and depth that affords timelessness. The standout track is the sophisticated silky voiced ‘Authority’ evoking images of performances in a smoky 1930’s jazz club. But I think that its songs like ‘Mr. Whippy Rides Again’ and ‘Make My Day’ where she spins ironic tales of small town kiwi losers which give the recording it’s kick and distinct original flavour. **** (4 stars)

Sharyn Croft, Groove Guide
May 2007

On Rubble, Hunter wears her Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones influences on her sleeve, but all the while honing in on her own unique lyrical flow and nifty phrasing approach. That she can switch from a dirty jazz-blues rhythm section arrangement to a simple guitar-picking delivery to spoken word reveals Hunter as a major New Zealand talent. From every turn, Rubble is one rough-cut gem of an album.
**** (4 and a half stars)

Steve Scott, Wiakato Times
May 2007

Singer/songwriter Káren Hunter (Kaaren) mined the musical debris and lyrical sediment of the likes of Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones collecting inspirations to smash and smooth together while assembling her fourth solo album ‘Rubble’. The 12 rootsy tunes on Rubble reflect Káren’s healthy sense of humour and keen eye for the ironic side of New Zealand life.

2006 saw Káren studying the craft of songwriting at Honours Level at Auckland University during which time she started working on her new album Rubble. Making Rubble has been a very different approach to recording for Káren and many musicians have contributed to the work which features a dirty jazz/blues rhythm section and a barrage of horns and ‘found’ percussion to embellish the songs.

From February to May this year Káren undertook an epic 48 date tour to promote Rubble which saw her travelling the length and breadth of the country from Kaitaia to Invercargill. With no backing band on tour she managed to create her own using a loop pedal and an array of percussion instruments and various rubble found along the way (including a piece of no. 8 wire).

Reviews

The guy who wrote the liner notes for this long overdue album by Auckland singer-songwriter Hunter — it was me actually — says he can well remember the first time he saw her perform: it was over 15 years ago and she stood so far outside the self-proscribed parameters that most musicians put on themselves you couldn’t help but be stunned.
Hunter rocked from powerchords to soft acoustic balladry, embarked on free-flying spoken word, had a slippery jazz quality, and at other times she sounded like a folk singer.
She was “alt” long before there was “alt”, if you know what I mean.
She continued her idiosyncratic path for many years but with little reward or comprehension from critics, then these past few years took time off to study jazz. My guess is she probably could have taught her tutors a thing or two.
The result is this album which is much more musically coherent than her previous outings (do yourself a favour and find The Private Life of Clowns and InsideOutside however), and in places owes more than a little to the early sound of Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones.
But those are only the most obvious references and keen ears will hear much more in the emotional depth of these songs. And some strange soundbeds for her lyrics.
Karen Hunter is one of a kind, and this album is further proof of that.
Graham Reid, Elsewhere

Auckland based singer-songwriter Karen Hunter has gained much respect over the years. The  Private Life of Clowns (1997) was a strong beacon, indicating her songwriting talents. On Rubble, Hunter wears her Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones influences on her sleeve, but all the while honing in on her own unique lyrical flow and nifty phrasing approach. It’s this wicked combination that creates the scenarios and atmospheres of her songs. The jazzy-folk opener Drunk and Disorderly sets the tone, followed by the uplifting Fight or Flight. Her love of Tom Waits is revealed on Authority, complete with its cacophany of industrial sound. This culminates in the spoken-word brilliance that is Mr Whippy Rides Again. Concerning a school drop-out who spends his time on cars and girls “with lust straining in his jeans” her delivery is cool and illuminating. That she can switch from a dirty jazz-blues rhythm section arrangement to a simple guitar-picking delivery to spoken word reveals Hunter as a major New Zealand talent. From every turn, Rubble is one rough-cut gem of an album.
**** (4 and a half stars)
Steve Scott, Wiakato Times

You can’t help but get down to the skulking bass grooves on Drunk & Disorderly, the first songs off Karen Hunter’s third album.
Then there’s Fight or Flight, a delightful and breezy blues jaunt with beautifully brushed beats. Compared with her past work, which moved from classic singer/songwriters moments to outbreaks of raucous rock (2001’s Inside Outside), Rubble is refined, more consistent in musical mood, and more accessible.
That’s not to say Rubble hasn’t got Hunter’s mix of charming oddities (there’s a credit for a player of “industrial machinery” and she does “assorted cacophony”) and her sometimes cheeky sense of humour.

Last year Hunter studied songwriting at Auckland University and while this brush with academia could have stilted creative urges there’s no sign of it in these 12 tunes, which are catchy yet gritty, drawing on jazz, blues and in the influence of singers such as Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones.  **** (4 stars)
Scott Kara, New Zealand Herald