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CHRISTINE KANE "Rain and Mud a ...
Washington Post
February 14, 2003; Page T7
Singer-songwriter Christine Kane reveals her roots in more ways than one on "Rain and Mud and Wild and Green." Beginning with "The Way Clouds Do," she lets you into her world, or at least what was once her world, in a soft voice that occasionally brings to mind Shawn Colvin: "Born in Fairfax, Virginia / Me and the girls we grew up / In homes they built on battlefields / Ponytails and panic / We were bad, bored and bulimic / We longed for something real." Kane is still longing, though mercifully she's not the kind of guitar-toting tunesmith who piles one self-absorbed musing on top of another. Reflective, ironic and often open-ended, her best songs take the shape of curious scenarios that leave you guessing about the nature of things. "One Once More," for instance, involves a woman ("opened easy, and rarely in me something unexpressed") trying to make sense of her relationship with a man who is as "silent as your breath." Another example of Kane's impressive song craft is "Or Just Heading Home," a ballad that jump-cuts between the present, a series of random encounters at an airport and rueful allusions to the past: "I fell in love once / With a boy from Wichita / And he left me in Africa / Yeah, it's quite a story."
In addition to the pensive ballads, the album boasts "Everything Green," an exuberant eco-anthem that briefly suggests the influence of Joni Mitchell, and "(No Such Thing as) Girls Like That," an amusing rant largely inspired by MTV's obsession with women in thongs.
-- Mike Joyce
- Washington Post
Creative Loafing Atlanta
Christine Kane by Kevin Moreau (6/19/2004)
Kane is that rarest of creatures, a singer/songwriter in the folksy Shawn Colvin mode whose music is wistful, earthy and warm without being cloying. True, there's enough fiber on albums like Rain and Mud and Wild and Green and Right Outta Nowhere to sew up the Lilith Fair granola-grrl vote, but her breathy voice and resonant writing mark her as an artistic (if not commercial) contemporary of Mary Chapin Carpenter. - Creative Loafing Atlanta
Smoky Mountain News
week of 5/19/04
by Jay Hardwig
Christine Kane
Friday-Saturday, May 21-22, Grey Eagle
Last week I led with Chuck Brodsky’s CD release show; this week, it’s time to unwrap the cellophane on another local folkie of note, Christine Kane. Kane’s been strumming and singing in these parts for 10 years or so, and while she’s never hit it Beyonce-big, she’s made a nice name among those in the know. Critics stumble over themselves to praise her smart, sympathetic songs, drawing comparisons to Roseanne Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Dar Williams. Those who saw her at Sylva’s Greening Up the Mountains festival know that she’s got a wit to match her voice, and knows how to use ‘em both.
Her latest release is called Right Outta Nowhere. I’ve given it a couple of listens, and I’ve got to say I’m enamored. It’s a pretty little thing — we knew it would be so — but it’s also profound. Her lyrics are filled with small gems, and yet none of them feel forced, or dropped into a song just to impress. The words only work, after all, when they serve the story. And the story here, it seems, is about growing older — not just getting older, but growing older — and the ways that your dreams, commitments, and compromises change along the way. As Kane sings on “Overjoyed:”
In spite of daytime planners, higher standards, dreams defended,
There’s not a single thing that’s turned out quite like I intended.
And so you learn that holding on is nothing less than panic,
When big things fall apart, then hearts get that much more gigantic.
But if Right Outta Nowhere is about finding true north on your personal compass — and I think that it is — it has the decency not to beat you over the head about it. It is meditative but not heavy, positive but not twee. Kane takes a sprightly approach, running from vivacious to wistful, and never loses sight of these two truths: part of art is entertainment, and self-importance is self-defeating. There are many highlights on the album — “Made of Steel,” “Overjoyed,” and “Four Legs Good” among them — but the best of the bunch is “The Good You Do.” A subtle meditation on violence and hope in a post-9/11 world, it is sober but inspiring, an affirmation of good acts in times run amok. I’m unashamed to say
I played it three times straight. Bravo.
- Smoky Mountain News
"right outta nowhere"
by christine kane
at the international folk alliance conference in san diego in february, christine kane was selected among hundreds for an official showcase.
it's easy to see why. she's at ease on stage, likely because of years of experience. "right outta nowhere" is her fifth album (i don't know how i missed her until now). her songs are poetically engaging yet not too dispirit that you can't sing along. several songs express the possibility that big changes can be made in our lives, despite hearing the opposite, even from ourselves ("right outta nowhere", "now that you know", and "whole other world".) since this is a prevailing theme on the album, it makes you wonder what she may have recently gone through.
in the song "falling in love with the wind," christine challenges you to do more than just talk: how will you go the long journey if you're always about to begin? / how will you know you're home if you keep falling in love with the wind? i'd be curious to hear what you think about the ultimatum presented in the comical "four legs good. two legs bad." since i've taken in 13 abandoned or abused dogs and cats it's easy to see which character in the song i admire. what about you?
the album closes with a bonus (but not hidden) live track about a young catholic girl's obsession with lent: "mary catherine's ash wednesday journal entry." this one's a lot of fun, catholic or not. right outta nowhere is one of those albums that grabs you the first time through, but doesn't wear out after frequent play. if christine kane comes to a small club in your town, don't pass on the experience, because the next time through she'll be on a bigger stage and you might be sitting in the back.
jim blum
so much great new music, so little time! we'll need 36 hours per day to get all these great new artists on in a week - starting with two finds from our pal "shoey":
christine kane with "right outta nowhere" (see the center column) - i fell in love with this album from the first track. superb vocals and the instrumentation could not be more radioioACOUSTIC! christine is not a newcomer to the performing arts, but she's new to radioioACOUSTIC and her (did i already say superb, ok...) her fabulous mix of all things acoustic melts in your ears. (zoe Montana)
- RadioIO.com
Discography
This Time Last Year, Big Fat Music 1995
"Off the Ground", Women's Work, Putamayo 1995
A Thousand Girls, Big Fat Music 1997
Live, Big Fat Music 1999
Rain & Mud & Wild & Green 2002
Right Outta Nowhere 2004
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
For the last 10 years, Christine Kane’s performances and songs have been a compelling portrait of what’s real and what’s true. From her debut release, This Time Last Year which introduced an exceptional innocence and uncluttered lyricism, to her 2002 release, Rain & Mud & Wild & Green, Christine’s music continues to reveal the many facets of her artistry, personality and spirit. Produced by Ben Wisch, Rain & Mud & Wild & Green was named “Best of 2003” (Folk Category) by Borders Books & Music and was critically acclaimed across America, from The Dallas Morning News to The Washington Post. The Post described Rain & Mud & Wild & Green as “Reflective, ironic and often open-ended…curious scenarios that leave you guessing about the nature of things. Impressive song craft.” The raw mix of acoustic textures and rhythms, Christine’s earthy and elegant voice, and her poignant lyric purity combined to provide a refreshingly real work of art that has secured her place among the most popular singer-songwriters.
Now, with the release of Right Outta Nowhere, the upward momentum continues. Produced by Christine and Dave Pomeroy and featuring some of Nashville’s most prominent musicians, (Kenny Malone on drums, Michael Spriggs on guitar) Right Outta Nowhere is a convergence of lyrical poetry, song craft, and pure acoustic musicianship. Songs like Overjoyed and The Good You Do celebrate both the vulnerability and strength of the human spirit with haunting grace, while others like Nowhere Left to Go and Whole Other World (co-written with veteran hit songwriter Steve Seskin) leap effortlessly into the realm of mass-market appeal. The end result is a reflection of an artist on the verge of coast-to-coast recognition.
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Christine has released five CDs on her own record label, Firepink Music (formerly Big Fat Music). With growing record sales and increasing national exposure, her record label’s office (which began in a spare room in her home) is thriving in the downtown business district of her home base of Asheville, NC. Firepink is now staffed with its own in-house publicist and booking agent.
Christine’s songs have been included on several compilation CDs including the Putumayo release Women’s Work. Her tours have included performances with a wide range of the world's favorite artists and bands, including Los Lobos, Nanci Griffith, John Mayer, Shawn Colvin, and John Gorka. She is a regular headliner at many of the country’s favorite festivals including Chattanooga's Riverbend Festival and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. Christine performs at some of the most prestigious theaters and listening rooms in the country, including The Birchmere, The Wheeler Opera House, The Barns of Wolf Trap, Spirit Square, and the Freight and Salvage. She has performed with Concerts for a Landmine Free World and many other humanitarian events, including a national tour with “Girls on the Move” an Outward Bound program targeting at-risk teenage girls. Christine was a Main Stage Showcase performer at both the 2004 Folk Alliance conference in San Diego and the North Carolina Arts Market conference. Rain & Mud & Wild & Green was a listening post feature at Borders Books & Music chain stores nationally in the summer 2003. Right Outta Nowhere will be featured in the summer of 2004.
These days, in addition to the listening room and festival circuit, Christine is regularly invited to appear at conferences throughout the country as a keynote speaker, performer, and teacher. In this capacity, she has appeared with world-renowned artists and writers from other genres, including the best-selling author SARK, and Sister Helen Prejan (author of Dead Man Walking). She has taught at the Swannanoa Gathering as well as the Song School (Rocky Mountain Folks Festival) and the Americana Song School (Sisters Folk Festival). In the fall of 2004, Christine will perform live with the North Carolina Dance Theatre at the Blumenthal Center in Charlotte. Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Artistic Director of NCDT, has choreographed a new ballet set to several of Christine's songs. The ballet premieres in Charlotte, NC and will be toured nationally by the company the following season.
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