Kaki King may be the next big thing when it comes to the way the six-string guitar is played. She scored “Into the Wild,” collaborated with Dave Grohl on a Foo Fighters song, was nominated for a Golden Globe and with her fifth album, “Junior,” King feels like she’s starting all over again.
“I almost felt like I was making my first album,” King said. “It came out to be a interesting record full of wonderful, diverse sounds.”
King plans to bring her new songs with her to The Ark in Ann Arbor on Wednesday. The show is part of a 19-date tour that will wrap up May 5. Performing material that spans her entire career, King states to expect a different dynamic for her songs than are on the recordings.
“It’s very loud,” King says, “We kick it up a notch for sure. Also, I’ll do the solo-guitar stuff, and that’s great, the guitar police will be happy about that.”
King started out writing songs that were arranged for a solo acoustic guitar. Her approach to the guitar, which has been described by many critics as very percussive, was developed after learning to play drums at a young age.
Whether it’s writing instrumentals that make seasoned players want to quit or pop songs that could be all over the radio, the sound of King’s discography never stays in the same place. Her records evolve in very natural steps forward.
“I just like to change,” King said. “I get bored easily if I don’t try to change it up.”
The album “Junior” does just that, containing sounds that are raw, layered and new. King, who is known widely for her unique guitar technique that puts an emphasis on tapping the guitar’s fretboard and finger-picking, explores sonic territory openly without using technique as a crutch.
“I don’t let the general chatter affect me too much when I write music,” she said. “I write what I like to hear.”
The album showcases not only King’s natural ability with a guitar, but her gift as a songwriter as well. Working again with Malcolm Burn, producer of 2008’s “Dreaming of Revenge,” King has created an album that is rewarding for both old and new fans.
Doors open for King’s show at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, at the Ark in Ann Arbor. Tickets are $17.50 online, and also at the Ark box office and the Michigan Union ticket office.