AI
Sunday, August 11, 2002 11:55:26 PM
KATHY MATTEA
Love Travels
You can never step into the same river twice because the river moves on. So said the ancient philosopher Heraclitus, and Kathy Mattea agrees. Why even try? Everything flows and life's elements are always in flux.
If Mattea's new album, Love Travels, has one consistent theme, it is to step into the river of life and let it carry you where it will. The risks are there, but the rewards are many--growth, movement, hope, grace, and the thrill of reaching for the highest star. It was advice that Mattea herself decided to follow during the making of this latest leg on her ever-evolving musical journey. While her last album, the gold-selling Walking Away A Winner, demonstrated a commercial sensibility, Mattea decided to take a risk and follow her intuitions. Consequently, the resulting album was shot straight from the heart.
Mattea and members of her band and road crew began to study the popular spiritual workbook, The Artists' Way while on tour. For the singer, it was an awakening. "After ten years of making records, I re-learned to marry my creativity and my spirituality," says the double Grammy-winner who was also twice named Female Vocalist of the Year by the CMA. "I realized all over again that those two things come from the same source. I know that if I come from that place, I find my niche. On this album, I let the songs lead me."
Co-produced by Mattea and Ben Wisch, who produced Mark Cohn's first two albums, the album draws from Mattea's early folk influences and includes Caribbean percussive styles, New Orleans funk, Memphis soul and a Celtic-influenced accordion and whistle. With the eclectic elements, the singer's throaty voice assumes a richer soulful quality, as she sings songs that take the listener through the mysterious landscape of life and love.
The title track is an uptempo tribute to the transcendent qualities of love, which travels across time and distance and always finds its mark. "Sending Me Angels," a gorgeous ballad, proclaims the old truism that we are never given more that we can stand, and spiritual help is always given. The Lionel Cartwright ballad "If That's What You Call Love," calls for a higher love, one that is deeper than the fickle grasping that often passes for romantic love. The song is accented by lovely, subtle, wail of pedal steel guitar. "All Roads To The River," by Janis Ian and Mattea's husband Jon Vezner, is about stepping into that river of life--surrendering to the undertow of life's mystery and complexity, and yes, even darkness.
But in the end, the message is love, love, love. At "The End Of The Line," after all the fighting and the conflicts, love is found. And love is the answer--the only answer. Don Henry's "Beautiful Fool," the last song on the album, is about Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Jesus, and the beauty of all those who preached a message of love to a resistant flock.
On "Patiently Waiting," penned by new traditionalist Gillian Welch, Mattea cuts loose with, a different message: "good things come to those who hit the road when they know what they want." She's all through with patiently waiting. "Anytime you can impart that message and encourage people to really live their lives, you should do it." she says. "I've always said that life is like a blank canvas and at the end, you don't want to have nothing on it." Also written by Gillian Welch and partner David Rawlings is "455 Rocket," an unabashed love song to a car. "You've gotta have some relief on a record like this. I mean, everything can't be about angels," Mattea declares. Though rooted in spirituality, the album still retains a plucky, earthy quality that core Mattea fans count on. Jim Lauderdale's "I'm On Your Side" continues in this vein--let 'em all talk, but don't let 'em spoil our fun. We'll turn around and talk about them, too.
On the Cheryl Wheeler ballad, "Further And Further Away," Mattea is joined by fellow former folk singer Suzy Bogguss. The song is about the loss of innocence when we realize that our parents are no longer the invincible heroes of our youth. "I cried when I heard that song," Mattea says, "I still have my parents with me, and so does my husband. So there is this sense of dread that creeps in as you get older and realize that they're not going to be around forever. The song is so emotional, and Suzy's voice has a reedy quality that cuts through everything."
"The Bridge," co-written by Tim Kimmel and Jim Pittman, opts for a simple soulful arrangement that underscores the song's theme of an impossible love. "On this song, on this album, we kept it sparse. We wanted more soul with less. Michael McDonald is singing on this and there's enough space to hear his voice. We made an effort to keep it rootsy. Almost every take on this record is a first, second or third take. We sacrificed arrangements at times because the performances from the musicians were so cool. It was all about being in the moment. It's scarier and it takes more faith to do it that way. What we got was looser and less arranged, but we got fearless playing."
Despite the album's eclecticism, its New York-based co-producer, and the presence of players like legendary drummer Jim Keltner, the music is, at the core, contemporary country. "I believe that music is music. Scottish and Celtic music are at the roots of modern country music. This album is very much me. It's part of my musical progression through the years. It's all about a musical journey.
In the end, the album stands as proof of Mattea's loyalty to her fans. "It's such a gift to be paid for being who you are as an artist. I'm so lucky to have a very loyal following of people who've stayed with me through all of my eclectic restlessness. They always want to see what I am going to do next. As I began to delve deeper into what I was feeling, I realized that I was going to alienate those people if I didn't make the record from a deeper place."
Simplicity, authenticity, are Mattea's guide posts in touring to support the album. She wants to simplify so that she can establish intimacy and connection with her fans. To her, that's what the music is all about. "I don't care if my audience is 500, 5,000 or 5 million. I just want my audience to be able to find me, and for us to experience it together."
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1066
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1124
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1142
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1148
Love Travels
You can never step into the same river twice because the river moves on. So said the ancient philosopher Heraclitus, and Kathy Mattea agrees. Why even try? Everything flows and life's elements are always in flux.
If Mattea's new album, Love Travels, has one consistent theme, it is to step into the river of life and let it carry you where it will. The risks are there, but the rewards are many--growth, movement, hope, grace, and the thrill of reaching for the highest star. It was advice that Mattea herself decided to follow during the making of this latest leg on her ever-evolving musical journey. While her last album, the gold-selling Walking Away A Winner, demonstrated a commercial sensibility, Mattea decided to take a risk and follow her intuitions. Consequently, the resulting album was shot straight from the heart.
Mattea and members of her band and road crew began to study the popular spiritual workbook, The Artists' Way while on tour. For the singer, it was an awakening. "After ten years of making records, I re-learned to marry my creativity and my spirituality," says the double Grammy-winner who was also twice named Female Vocalist of the Year by the CMA. "I realized all over again that those two things come from the same source. I know that if I come from that place, I find my niche. On this album, I let the songs lead me."
Co-produced by Mattea and Ben Wisch, who produced Mark Cohn's first two albums, the album draws from Mattea's early folk influences and includes Caribbean percussive styles, New Orleans funk, Memphis soul and a Celtic-influenced accordion and whistle. With the eclectic elements, the singer's throaty voice assumes a richer soulful quality, as she sings songs that take the listener through the mysterious landscape of life and love.
The title track is an uptempo tribute to the transcendent qualities of love, which travels across time and distance and always finds its mark. "Sending Me Angels," a gorgeous ballad, proclaims the old truism that we are never given more that we can stand, and spiritual help is always given. The Lionel Cartwright ballad "If That's What You Call Love," calls for a higher love, one that is deeper than the fickle grasping that often passes for romantic love. The song is accented by lovely, subtle, wail of pedal steel guitar. "All Roads To The River," by Janis Ian and Mattea's husband Jon Vezner, is about stepping into that river of life--surrendering to the undertow of life's mystery and complexity, and yes, even darkness.
But in the end, the message is love, love, love. At "The End Of The Line," after all the fighting and the conflicts, love is found. And love is the answer--the only answer. Don Henry's "Beautiful Fool," the last song on the album, is about Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Jesus, and the beauty of all those who preached a message of love to a resistant flock.
On "Patiently Waiting," penned by new traditionalist Gillian Welch, Mattea cuts loose with, a different message: "good things come to those who hit the road when they know what they want." She's all through with patiently waiting. "Anytime you can impart that message and encourage people to really live their lives, you should do it." she says. "I've always said that life is like a blank canvas and at the end, you don't want to have nothing on it." Also written by Gillian Welch and partner David Rawlings is "455 Rocket," an unabashed love song to a car. "You've gotta have some relief on a record like this. I mean, everything can't be about angels," Mattea declares. Though rooted in spirituality, the album still retains a plucky, earthy quality that core Mattea fans count on. Jim Lauderdale's "I'm On Your Side" continues in this vein--let 'em all talk, but don't let 'em spoil our fun. We'll turn around and talk about them, too.
On the Cheryl Wheeler ballad, "Further And Further Away," Mattea is joined by fellow former folk singer Suzy Bogguss. The song is about the loss of innocence when we realize that our parents are no longer the invincible heroes of our youth. "I cried when I heard that song," Mattea says, "I still have my parents with me, and so does my husband. So there is this sense of dread that creeps in as you get older and realize that they're not going to be around forever. The song is so emotional, and Suzy's voice has a reedy quality that cuts through everything."
"The Bridge," co-written by Tim Kimmel and Jim Pittman, opts for a simple soulful arrangement that underscores the song's theme of an impossible love. "On this song, on this album, we kept it sparse. We wanted more soul with less. Michael McDonald is singing on this and there's enough space to hear his voice. We made an effort to keep it rootsy. Almost every take on this record is a first, second or third take. We sacrificed arrangements at times because the performances from the musicians were so cool. It was all about being in the moment. It's scarier and it takes more faith to do it that way. What we got was looser and less arranged, but we got fearless playing."
Despite the album's eclecticism, its New York-based co-producer, and the presence of players like legendary drummer Jim Keltner, the music is, at the core, contemporary country. "I believe that music is music. Scottish and Celtic music are at the roots of modern country music. This album is very much me. It's part of my musical progression through the years. It's all about a musical journey.
In the end, the album stands as proof of Mattea's loyalty to her fans. "It's such a gift to be paid for being who you are as an artist. I'm so lucky to have a very loyal following of people who've stayed with me through all of my eclectic restlessness. They always want to see what I am going to do next. As I began to delve deeper into what I was feeling, I realized that I was going to alienate those people if I didn't make the record from a deeper place."
Simplicity, authenticity, are Mattea's guide posts in touring to support the album. She wants to simplify so that she can establish intimacy and connection with her fans. To her, that's what the music is all about. "I don't care if my audience is 500, 5,000 or 5 million. I just want my audience to be able to find me, and for us to experience it together."
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1066
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1124
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1142
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1148
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