WOODVILLE – Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025 was one heck of a day for Woodville native Kim Cruse.
The ascendent singer/songwriter celebrated 33 spins around the sun on that day; was tapped to be the parade marshal for this year’s Dogwood Festival Queen’s Weekend parade and she released her debut album Mixed Emotions.
Along with the record’s release, she and her band played a show to celebrate that achievement at the House of Blues in Houston.
The release of Mixed Emotions is a long time coming for the gifted musician. Cruse had released a self-titled EP in 2021, along with a few singles, and has had some chart success with those projects, but the album represents a deeply personal journey for her.
“[Mixed Emotions] is kind of like my personal diary,” Cruse said. The album’s 11 songs cover “a healing process after a tumultuous breakup,” she added.
The project was recorded at Warm Studios in Austin, and Cruse said the process has taken “two years of hard work, dedication and countless hours in the studio.”
Self-love is a theme throughout the album, Cruse said, but there’s also lyrics on songs like “Two Hearts” that promote the idea of taking a chance and throwing caution to the wind after heartbreaking situations have taken place. Another song, “It’s Giving,” spells it out: “You gotta love yourself before you love someone else,” Cruse sings.
The singer/songwriter, who has been touring and releasing songs independently since her fall 2022 run on NBC’s The Voice, said that she is looking forward to the public hearing the album, as well as getting to play the songs live, before audiences.
“This project means the world to me, and I’m beyond excited to share it with all of you,” she said.
The production on the album allows the instrumentation an easy flow, with Cruse’s vocals to shine. Her sound, which has been compared to many classic vocalists, sounds a bit on Mixed Emotions like the great Nina Simone, but still, ultimately like Kim Cruse, at the end of the day.
Songs on the album like “Cry” and “Actions” had been released before but fit in perfect with the journey that Cruse hopes that the album takes listeners on.
Among the more confessional tracks on the album is “Narcissist,” which Cruse said she wrote to help raise awareness of narcissistic traits in people, particularly within relationships.
Cruse said that being able to release her debut full-length album left her “overflowing with joy and a profound sense of accomplishment, knowing it has the potential to uplift and inspire a global audience.”
“This milestone aligns with my birthday, marking the beginning of a chapter filled with promise, purpose and limitless possibilities,” she added.
The rise of Kim Cruse to national prominence has been a journey, and with a supportive hometown behind her, the limits have, indeed, been superseded.
As she sings in the album’s opening track, “It’s Giving,” “Good things take time, not a minute.”
