Published on Jan 26, 1999
As popular as country music has been over the last decade, there
has been enough of a mix of styles to keep the genre interesting,
especially for female artists. Shania Twain has crossed over to the
pop side of the charts with great commercial success (despite the
sneers of some of the “pure” country artists – strange, didn’t they
do the same thing to John Denver?), while Kathy Mattea has mixed
both pop and touches of folk into her music, even if it hasn’t
equalled the same level of success.
So while these artists are better-known, why haven’t we heard of
people like Katy Moffatt? As her latest work
Angel Town proves, she’s just as competent, even if her
style of music is more sparse, featuring only guitar, bass and
vocals. It might not be a style for everyone, but it is pretty.
Moffatt, guitarist Andrew Hardin (who also co-produced
Angel Town with Hardin) and bassist Hank Bones create a
warm, dark mood with the mostly acoustic feel of their
performances, all cut over a three-day period. Pulling from a wide
variety of sources for these eleven songs (including a few Moffatt
co-wrote), the listener is taken on a unique journey through
country-folk, but in the end, you’re glad you made the trip.
Tracks like “Mother Of Pearl,” “A Man I Once Did Own” and
“Sister Angelina” all shine brightly on this disc, Moffatt’s vocals
ringing out strongly over the texture of the acoustic guitars.
Tribute is paid to the late Steve Goodman with the inclusion of “I
Just Keep Falling In Love,” a nice primer for those who may not be
familiar with his work.
Moffatt isn’t afraid to jump across musical boundaries on
Angel Town. From the country feel of the title track to the
bluesy wails on “Love Me Like A Man” to the surprising acoustic
touch she gives to Cole Porter’s “Miss Otis Regrets” (a song I
hated until I heard this version), Moffatt works hard on erasing
any limits one tries to put on her music or any classification one
tries to make. Even after several listenings to this album, I’m not
sure I’ve completely got my finger on the pulse of this album.
So why haven’t we heard more from Moffatt? My guess is that
radio wouldn’t know what to do with her music, much less how to
market her. Personally, when I listen to
Angel Town, I can see Moffatt entertaining a crowd at a
coffee house (having performed at coffee houses, I know what I
speak of), or even at a small theatre where each note from her
Martin can echo through the hall.
Angel Town is an album that may take a listen or two for you
to get used to, but once you do, it will be difficult for you to
take out of your CD player.