Kathleen Grace’s albums and shows have shown a variety ranging from pop to jazz and even lately towards the country side of life. Her latest release retains her jazz sensibilities in terms of her phrasing and delivery, but she mixes it into the Nashville context in an intriguing fashion with the regular team of Erik Kertes/b, David Steele/ag, Tim Young/eg, David Raven/dr and Greg Lesz/psg along with guests which include Anthony Wilson/g.
Her selection of material is as intriguing as her delivery. A treatment of the standard “Blame It On My Youth” gets a bit of a honky tonk strut, with the band feeling like it’s a blurry eyed third set. Ellington’s “Mood Indigo,” has her blending her lucid voice with steel strings to make you feel like you’re at the local VFW, while the blending of three voices on Tom Wait’s “The Briar and the Rose” has a haunting dreaminess that can’t be shaken away. Her own material is impressive in that, like the best of troubadours, she can get you caught up in the story, mixing melody with delivery to sound like she’s focused right at you, and you alone. “Emma” has her drawing you into her tale, while the fragrant guitar pickings on “I’m On Fire” audibly frames her emotive vulnerabilities. Grambling paints a starry starry night background for her stark reading of Curt Kirkwood’s “Plateau,” showing that life in the Cumberland Gap can take many hues. A worthwhile journey with a searching soul.
Monsoon Records
www.kathleengrace.com