Hello Kavita

It’s not often that you encounter an instantly satisfying record that also rewards repeated listens. Hello Kavita’s sophomore effort blows in like a lost 1972 Flying Burrito Brothers record, tumbling across the California desert. The seductively spare ten-song collection has the polish and professionalism you’d expect from such seasoned players. But it’s the tarnished spots — the blemishes and cracks, scratches and rust — that reveal the record’s dark, dusty soul and make it thoroughly addictive. From the chipper lilt of “Light Up in the Blue” to the Zen-like resignation of “The Last Time” and the wistful longing of “Colorado” (a scintillating, banjo-speckled reinterpretation of a Kavita standard, “Pensacola”), To a Loved One plays like a topographically accurate map of the human heart, with all its peaks, valleys and fascinating bumps.