Biography

"'Fill Me Up' is a new album from my brilliant friend Kiki Ebsen, who delivers a wonderful sonic landscape in the best traditions of classic songwriting and production. Please check it out. 💙"
Christopher Cross

Singer/songwriters are creatives inspired by their own experiences and moved by others they see and hear. What love can do to you and for you are the bookends of the 8th CD by Kiki Ebsen. From the rock-driven “Dead End Places,” Kiki takes you back to her compositions that began in 1995. You’ll hear a 1960s pop feel just perfect for Grant Geissman’s 12-string guitar. “Fill Me Up,” the title track, came from that same time as she fronted her own band of talented future soloists at the sidewalk bistro, Le Café.
“Keep You On My Mind” and “Her Turn Now” are soulful, solitary, and reflective thoughts about old loves and new decisions. “Take My Time” is a song that began in 2003, yet carries a timeless feel about a woman cautious about diving soul-deep back into love, accepting the risks that follow.
A determined pop sound surrounds “Change My Mind” and “Old Love Never Dies,” in a symbolic wearing your heart on your sleeve when you still think you’re keeping your inner thoughts safe inside. Kiki’s love of R&B shines through “Peace.Harmony” and “Someday Soon,” both written in recent years, emblematic of exiting a period of self-reflection, armed to enter the world of love and propel with passion, straight to contentment.
The pillars on which this musical foundation stands include longtime collaborators, Grant Geissman (recording standout soloist, music composer for TV shows, author, performer and first-call studio guitarist, e.g., Chuck Mangione’s “Feel So Good” solo), dynamic guitarist James Harrah (Madonna, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Melissa Etheridge, Rickie Lee Jones), unparalleled drummer Bernie Dresel (featured on over 100 movie soundtracks including “Whiplash,” and leader of his own band, The BBB), and stone cold solid, classically trained bassist, Steven Lawrence. Gabe Wicher delivers the perfect Americana vibe to “Take My Time” with his fiddle, and a day in Brian Kilgore’s percussion studio added cool colors and delicious rhythms.
Basic tracks were recorded and engineered in Ross Pallone’s Rossaround Studio, longtime friends and tour veterans together with Christopher Cross for which Ross was Front-of-House Mixer. Additional tracks were recorded, and the project completed, during pandemic isolation at Kiki’s Healing Equine Ranch Studio. The project was skillfully mixed by her husband, Steve Wallace, a 30-year sound veteran (Tracy Chapman, Prince, The Jets, Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys, The Jets, Tool, and Rage Against the Machine). Kiki and Steve serve as Co-Producers for “Fill Me Up.”

On “Fill Me Up,” Kiki Ebsen delivers a landmark CD that bespeaks life, resounds into the atmosphere with love, and offers hope: when a dream burns inside you, a solid path will appear and clear to where destiny awaits.