Stetson and Cia

I've been a fan of Cherryholmes, a family band of the same name, almost from the first. They have a very interesting back story which I won't take the time to repeat here. It's out there to be found with a simple Google search. The gist being that they decided to take up Bluegrass music as a family and became world class almost overnight! From the beginning I've thought that eldest daughter Cia had one of the finest female voices in Bluegrass music, rivaling even such luminaries as Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent. I always anticipated she'd eventually strike out on her own solo career and looked forward to that day. When I learned of the breakup of the family band last year I was sure her time had come. Imagine how surprised and a bit concerned I was when I learned she'd hooked up with a fellow named Stetson and formed a duo. Duos are springing up like weeds these days and the thought of another one didn't thrill. Fortunately my worries were unfounded. Stetson turns out to be a vocalist perfectly matched to Cia. Their collaberation worked out so well, in fact, they decided to make it permanent and Cia became Mrs. Adkisson last month. They also released their first cd about the same time, an Americana EP appropriately titled Stetson & Cia. It's an 8 track collection of music that can't be too easily catagorized, but as far as I'm concerned it's country. Not radio country, but country none-the-less. I'm just as happy they chose the indie route rather than try to please the tastes of the music industry, and I err a bit by implying this isn't radio friendly, because it certainly could be if the industry execs were open to it. The track It's Been Too Long could easily pass as a country ballad. Surprise me radio people and pick up on it! The thing about Stetson is that he has a very radio friendly voice. He has the kind of baritone you expect from an Alan Jackson or Trace Adkins type singer. Cia's voice is so beautful that she could also pass as a regular country artist if she chose. In fact she's more versatile than I thought. Check out her gypsy jazz number with Cherryholmes titled Just You. Awesome!

I ordered the EP from their website and sent an accompanying note asking if they wouldn't mind signing it. I got a close to an immediate reply email saying they'd be happy to and that the cd was going into the mail the next day. Pretty impressive. I love dealing with indie artists! It was obvious the package was addressed with the same Sharpie that was used to autograph the cd. Again, pretty cool. I really love the EP. All tracks are great. This isn't Cherryholmes type, fiery bluegrass, but is very stripped down, lovely, acoustic music. They trade off lead vocals and all songs are their own writing. Cia is known as one of the top banjo players in the world. Her style here isn't the usual Scruggs picking you might expect, but is a little more laid back, hearkening back to an earlier era. My favorite track is I'm Not the One, a perfect example of Cia's great vocal work. The track titled Lullaby sounds like something Alison Krauss would record. I always thought she sounded similar to Rhonda Vincent in most of her cherryholmes work. She's seperated herself from such comparisons with this album. Her own style is emerging here. The goal was to keep things very simple, allowing the vocals to dominate. This philosophy is summed up in the following Frederic Chopin quote included in the liner notes: "Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." They've certainly achieved that goal. Here's I'm Not the One:





Here's a video of their new single Waves:

Rating for the EP: Easily 5 Stars!

 

Kate Wolf

I've been very negligent of this blog of late, but I don't apologize. Life has just been putting the squeeze on me and the blog gets shoved down the priority list. Lately I've been in a Kate Wolf mood. I was reviewing her stuff on my Ipod and realized I only had one single Kate Wolf song amongst all my thousands. It happened to be Here in California, my favorite of hers, but it was really inexcusable that there wasn't more. I've been living off my local library's collection of her music for years. They have a number of her recordings including at least 2 of here wonderful Rhino compilations. I've looked into buying some of the compilations but was put off by the price. They're out of print and prices are sky rocketing. Then something serendipitous happened, Father's Day came along! Lucky for me 2 of my kids gave me Itunes gift cards so I hurried over to the Itunes store the next day and down loaded Gold in California: A Retrospective of Recordings and Looking Back at You, loaded them onto my Ipod and have been listening to them since. As I've mentioned in the past, I prefer to buy hard copies so I can play them at work, but the price for these 2 recordings was too tempting to not go the Itunes route. The first album consists of 20 of her most famous songs and cost $12.99. The second is just the opposite in content, being made up largely of obscure songs and covers. It has 10 tracks and cost $6.99. Not a bad way to beef up my Kate Wolf library that was all but non-existent!

I first became acquainted with Kate's work when I checked out from the library Nancy Griffith's masterful collection title Other Voices Other Rooms. It includes a cover of one of Kate's coolest songs, Across the Great Divide. Thanks to hearing it first there, I have a slight preference for Nancy's version. I also like that she eliminates the proposition "in" from the line: "It's gone away (in) yesterday". Nancy's  take on it seems a little more direct and to the point, but both versions are great. Another album that pointed me to Kate's work came by way of Kathy Mattea. She contributed Give Yourself To Love on the tribute album: Treasures Left Behind: Remembering Kate Wolf. That's another great album that I need to get a copy of. Again, I've been living off the library. Lucinda Williams gives a haunting rendition of Here in California that may be the most riveting track on the album.

Kate is another one of youmy low voiced female folk singers. I love her melancholy delivery and the way she bends the pitch to make some of her lyrics even more haunting. But what really makes Kate world class is her song writing. She takes you on a trip every time. It's a total sensory experience. She really has an amazing talent for describing her world. I've never been to Norther California, but after listening to her I feel an affinity for the place, at least the off the beaten path parts where her music takes you. It's a dusty, nostalgic journey. One moment you're in "the golden rolling hills of California" the next thing you know she's telling you "There's no gold. I thought I'd warn ya and the hills turn brown in the summertime". Pretty cool stuff!

Sadly, Kate left us in December of 1986 at the age of 44, a victim of leukemia.

Of the 2 albums I just bought, Gold in California: A Retrospective of Recordings is far superior to
 Looking Back at You. The first showcases Kate's singing and song writing at its best. The latter is a nice peek at early Kate performing live but since it's mainly covers half of her magic is missing. It's still a great addition if you're a die-hard fan, but probably not an album for the casual fan.

Ratings:
Gold in California: A Retrospective of Recordings  5 stars
Looking Back at You                                                 3 stars

Here's Kate singing one of her best tunes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udRFQOsrjpU

The multi talented girl on harmonica and mandolin is Nina Gerber. She regularly tours with Karla Bonoff these days. Catch them if they come your way!

Upcoming Events and More Katherine Jenkins

I've become aware of several events I'm looking forward to this concert season. I notice on Suzy Bogguss' website that she's got no less than 4 gigs in the state of Utah this year. She better get herself a permanent residence if this keeps up! Seriously, I know of no other artist on my list of favorites outside of the locals who play the state more than Suzy. Utah loves ya gal! This year she'll be in Vernal, Ogden, Heber City and Moab, in that order. I'll most likely take in her show at the Heber City cowboy poetry event much as I did last year since it's the closest to my home. Also at the Heber event this year will be an appearance by a Western Swing group I recently fell in love with thanks to an Amazon recommendation. They are the Quebe Sisters Band that consists of 3 sisters on fiddle and vocals with a guitar and bass player. They have an interesting sound vocally, much like the Andrews Sisters. Instrumentally I don't even know who they compare to! Just know it's way cool. I've got tickets for Stadium of Fire this year with a goodly number of family members. Who can resist the Beach Boys? OK, at this point maybe Beach Geezers is more fitting, but hey, it's the sound of my youth! I'm also committed to seeing Bonnie Raitt in August at Red Butte Garden. Love her sound! But maybe the coolest thing I've heard yet is that Katherine Jenkins will be in Utah soon. She let it slip during a recent 4 Utah interview with Mark Ballas. The reporter asked him when he'd be in state next due to the fact he's taught dance lessons here in the past. He said he had some classes he'd be teaching here soon. His DWTS partner Katherine, who was standing nearby, jumped in with the news that she'd also be coming to Utah to sing with the MormonTabernacle Choir in July. I questioned a friend at work who sings with the choir about it and he thought it probably meant she'd be coming for the Pioneer Day concert prior to the 24th of July that the choir does every year. They generally have a guest performer come. He hadn't hear who it was and indeed had no knowledge of her at all. He thought she probably spoke out of turn much as Natalie Cole had done prior to her appearance with the choir. I'm still waiting official word. An internet search will turn up nothing. Channel 4 must have been required to pull the interview. I'm very anxious to see the official announcement so I can be among the first to put in a ticket request. I'm stoked! I recently purchased Katherine's cd Daydream and am loving it to death. Talk about voice of an angel! I love the fact that she's a soprano with a mellow tone. She's been accused of not being dramatic enough, but I like that she sings with a bit of British reserve. I hope the U. S. finally will take a shine to her music. As a classical crossover artist, she's as good as it gets. Here's what Allmusic has to say about Daydream. I'm pretty much in agreement, so no need to write my own review:

Allmusic Review

Slightly tip-toeing away from the mainstream pop sound which saw her cover the likes of Evanescence and Queen on her last record, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins' eighth studio album, Daydream, is largely a back-to-basics affair which pays homage to several of the songs which have inspired her glittering career. There are still a couple of crossover pop/rock efforts, such as the Radio 2-friendly "Can't Slow Down," the gentle piano balladry of "Your Silhouette," and a faithful cover version of Delta Goodrem's soaring, midtempo "Break It to My Heart." But Jenkins' powerful and enchanting tones have always appeared more comfortable when tackling material closer to her classically trained beginnings than on the attempts to crossover to the MOR pop world, something which she appears to have realized, judging by this fairly traditional set of songs. Alongside several compositions showcasing her multi-lingual skills, including Ennio Morricone's Italian-sung "L'alba Verra (The Dawn Will Come)," a rare French version of Les Miserables' signature tune, "I Dreamed a Dream" ("J'Avais Reve d'Une Autre Vie"), and two tracks recorded in her native Welsh tongue, "Love Divine (Hyfrydol)" and "Blaenwern" (the first time she's sung in Welsh since 2006's Serenade), there are string-soaked renditions of Celtic folk songs "Black Is the Colour" and "Carrickfergus," a brand new interpretation of "Ave Maria," and a moving take of Kismet show tune "And This Is My Beloved." But it's the closing number, "Abigail's Song," which will already be familiar to most Jenkins fans, that her stunning vocal presence really goes up a notch. Backed by some haunting choral chants and a magical arrangement from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, her contribution to the Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol soundtrack is arguably one of the strongest original songs of her career, and is a perfect way to finish a charming, highly personal, and well-crafted affair which proves that Jenkins is at her best when she embraces her classical roots.

Allmusic gives it 3.5 stars. I like it a little better than that and am giving it 4.5 stars.

Here's her live take on Ave Maria, a song that appears on the album: