I first encountered Katy at Nashville Sounds in the Round a
few weeks ago, performing an acoustic songwriter set with just her guitar and
the occasional accompaniment from Steven Marks of Gasoline & Matches. I was captivated then by her voice, but to
now hear her with a full band is another revelation. The Band call themselves “The Healers” (see
what they did there!) and the playing really complements Katy’s vocals giving
an authentic country sound
First track on the EP is “Drink” – a “girl in a bar” song to contrast with all those “guy in
bar” songs! Much like an argument you
know you are going to lose, the song starts slow and soft, but once the drums
kick in, the tempo and the vocal pick up and you know you are in trouble! You are lulled into a false sense of security
with the almost Katie Melua style singing, but the more Katy gets defiant, the
more Dolly Parton she sounds! This song
is a girl standing her ground, and it really sounds genuine!
With a dreamy start going straight into a soft vocal, “Natchez” is a song about separation,
about missing each other, regrets...but she had to go, she knows inside she had
to go. You can really feel the story
behind the song, and the emotion is really amplified by a powerful, soaring
vocal just before the song ends. I want
to know the backstory, I want to know if she stayed away…I want it to last
another 4 minutes 12 seconds….
In a total contrast, “Revved
Up” kicks off with a big guitar intro into a solid country beat and a vocal
to match that bass line. It is very modern sounding girl country but with a
huge nod to the traditional – if that makes sense! Truly showing the less soft side to Katy, with
her powerful singing voice really coming through.
Probably my favourite track on the EP, and already released
as a teaser single, “See Ya Later” lifts
the tempo again from Revved Up, but this time in a more pop country, pacy and
downright fun way! Based on an incident
from a party, it is a song about kicking a guy to the kerb after just his first
approach. You can’t listen without
tapping your feet – and having a little sympathy for the guy who hit on the
wrong girl!
The title track of the EP, “Unfinished Business” brings the whole package together. It is a song
you really want to stop and listen to – which is why Katy wrote it. It feels almost autobiographical, and it
comes from a singer songwriter who is a self-confessed lover of the Country
Genre’s storytelling tradition and a way to express feelings and emotions
through song. Having listened to the whole EP while writing notes and the
review, this one stopped me dead in my tracks – and went straight onto repeat. This
song is pure emotion, pure song writing, and pure singing all wrapped up into
four and half minutes of magic.
Overall you feel that Katy is a powerful, self-assured
Country girl. She knows her mind, she
knows what she wants – and I know she will go far!
“Unfinished Business” is released on 22 March and can be pre-ordered
now from iTunes
www.KatyHurt.com
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