by Gautam Baksi
After three years of success in Belgium and a warm reception across Europe following the birth of grunge in '91, K's Choice (formerly known as the Choice) recorded The Great Subconscious Club in 1994 as their first American release. From the three-minute opening rock track, &Me Happy,& to the slow, folksy ballad of &My Heart,& Subconscious Club is a soothing rock album, perfect for a rainy day. Raspy vocalist Sarah Bettens combines the lyrical abilities of Sarah McLachlan with the nonchalant rock presence of a young Chrissie Hynde to form a unique singing style. &Winter& and &What the Hell Is Love& tug at the heartstrings, while more upbeat rockers &Breakfast& and &I Smoke a Lot& add variety to the album's many moods. K's Choice generally sticks to the traditional guitar/bass/drums lineup throughout the album, largely stifling their creative capacity. Although a solid debut effort from a decent band, their Belgian exoticism adds more appeal to the album than the quality of the individual songs. On the CD rack, K's Choice fits nicely between hard rockers Garbage and the more introspective Indigo Girls.