Caroline Kole Gives “Flow” an Orchestral Makeover (premiere)

When Caroline Kole first began her musical career, it was as a precocious country firebrand at just 13 years of age. Discovered by Reba McEntire, she hit the Nashville circuit running with opening spots for the like of Reba, Blake Shelton, and other notables. It’s a wonder, then, that some years later, we would see the artist performing a complete 180 degree turn into the realm of straight-ahead pop. Since swapping genres, Kole has acknowledged the pop realm as something truly in her veins and has been reaping the benefits of a legitimate artistic shift.

On the heels of her recently released EP, Only Slightly Emotional, Kole is premiering a reworked orchestral performance of her song “Flow” exclusively with PopMatters. Renovating out the electropop sass of the original studio recording into an arrangement highlighting the songwriter’s knack for soulful, emotion-driven performances.

In a statement, Kole tells us, “I knew I wanted to film a live performance of the song, but wasn’t sure how to do it. Getting a string quartet involved in one of my songs is something I’ve always wanted to do, so BOOM the idea was born to do that with ‘Flow.’ Filming this was the BEST experience ever! RJ Bracchita was able to create a beautiful and brilliantly fresh version of the song. I got emotional in one of the takes because I really felt the arrangement in my heart and soul! I hope you watch it and feel the same way.”

“Overall, my Only Slightly Emotional EP features fun, bright, sarcastic and sassy production and performance. This orchestral version of ‘Flow’ is almost that much more special because of that! It’s not what people are going to be expecting, and that’s exactly why I did it.”