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CU Archives: Kathy Mattea
For those of you just discovering Country Universe because of Ben Foster’s stellar review of Calling Me Home, here are some other Kathy Mattea features from our archives:
A Conversation with Kathy Mattea
This interview from March 2009 covers Mattea’s musical legacy, with a special focus on her Grammy-nominated Coal.
100 Greatest Women: #27. Kathy Mattea
Mattea’s entry on our 2008 countdown of the genre’s greatest women.
Favorite Songs by Favorite Artists: Kathy Mattea
Twenty-five of her best, written shortly after the release of Coal.
Classic Country Singles: “Where’ve You Been”
A look back at the single that earned Mattea her first Grammy award and won its songwriters several major honors as well.
1999 | #4
Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “My Blue Tears”
1971 | #17
The title track got most of the love, and deservedly so, but the first single from Parton’s Coat of Many Colors album is a strong effort in its own right. Backed by Appalachian-flavored acoustic instrumentation, Parton mourns her lost love while expressing a desire for nothing more than solitude. To the bluebird singing a sad song, she says “Spread your blue wings, and I’ll shed my blue tears.” To the bright sunshine, she says “Waste not your warmth on the coldness in here…. Go light your blue sky, and I’ll shed my blue tears.” The song’s brisk tempo belies its sad lyrics as Parton sings with an emotive quiver in her voice.
Single Review: LeAnn Rimes, “Swingin'”
John Anderson’s early 1983 hit, “Swingin’”, is the song that propelled his mainstream country music career. The quirky song that chronicled the mundane details of young infatuation is more loved for its unadulterated cheesiness than for being anything akin to a masterpiece. In fact, it sounds delightfully dated today, which only accentuates its cult appeal.
Look, Nashville’s got its issues. And a song that delves into its yin-yang core of image and art could be interesting, if not entirely original. It could be any combination of honest, clever, biting and entertaining. It could make sense.
Billy Currington, “That’s How Country Boys Roll”
It’s always disappointing when a good song is tainted by mundane lyrics, and I fear that’s the case with “That’s How Country Boys Roll.” Like most of Currington’s singles, the song –lyrics aside– is charming and endearing, and the vocal performance rich and distinct.
But we come away from the song learning what, exactly, about country boys? That they like fishing, suped up cars and working real hard? Granted, there are a few deeper messages in the mix, but none are expressive enough to actually paint a picture of a multi-dimensional country boy.
Hear Mindy Smith’s New Album
Singer-songwriter Mindy Smith’s latest offering, Stupid Love, is streaming online at Paste Magazine‘s website. It sounds like a poppier effort than her previous two albums, but reviews are strong, and Smith is a great talent. Check it out!
The Greencards, <em>Fascination</em>
The Greencards are a trio consisting of Australians Carol Young and Kym Warner along with U.K. native Eamon McLoughlin. Up-and-comers with talent to spare and an eclectic range of influences, they have earned spots opening for both Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. They were awarded an Austin Music Award in 2003, an Americana Music Award in 2006, and, in 2008, earned a “Best Country Instrumental Performance” Grammy nomination. Their albums have incorporated blues, world music, and jazz, and have been labeled roots music, modern bluegrass, and Americana.
This brings us to their Sugar Hill debut, and the question, what is Fascination?
Fascination integrates elements of folk, country, modern bluegrass and Americana, and often draws upon elements of blues and world music one would expect only to find on National Public Radio. Yet, apply any of these labels to their latest album and they seem not only to fall short, but to feel completely inaccurate. Some will make comparisons to Nickel Creek or The Duhks, but The Greencards, while also technically breathtaking and acoustically driven, inspire comparison primarily because they have consistently moved towards a sound of their own.