With a soul singer's power and a jazz singer's agility, Kristi Kimsey settles gracefully into the grooves of her songs, plays around with meter and melody, and teases out all the possibilities held within every note. She's a commanding vocalist who never delivers a line the same way twice. The recordings on As I Look Back, set to tape in the late 1970s and only just recently rediscovered, chronicle an important era in her life when she was coming into her own as an artist. They also document her close-knit circle of friends and fellow artists, which included Alvin Lee, Keith Richards, Frank Carillo, and Kristi's husband, producer/engineer Chris Kimsey-all of whom contributed to her debut. Her story is one of perseverance, acceptance, innovation, and-most of all, she declares unabashedly-love. "Then and now, this whole project is about love. The songs are all about loving someone and being loved and expressing that."