KATY BOYD – PAPER HEARTS
2012 – Self Released
4****
It’s safe to say that this album has some of the best, most sharply observed tales of life with all it’s warts, in modern day country music. In fact that can be extended to any form of
music, such is the power of the stories that this tremendously talented country singer songwriter has come up with. Easy listening they certainly aren’t, but quite evocative, at times harrowing, stories they certainly are.
This is her second solo album, the first being ‘Ain’t No Fairy Tale, although she also has a duo album with Marty Atkinson that has also just been released under the title ‘Blue Cactus Choir.’
I’ve yet to hear either but if they are anywhere near as good as ‘Paper Hearts’ they will be well worth listening to.
Of the ten songs on this album nine are written by Katy and one is a cover of Steve Winwood’s Can’t find my way home. The recording was all done in Nashville with the assistance of some real quality musicians including Fats Kaplin on steel guitar and accordion, Justin Moses on fiddle, mandolin and banjo, Thomm Jutz on guitars, keyboards and harmony vocals with Katy herself on acoustic guitar as well as lead vocals. She possesses a lovely confident feminine singing voice
that is full of maturity and laden with character on these songs that are short on flowery illusion and strong on realism, also including some gorgeous melodies. In fact, many of the songs are rooted in some harsh lessons and observations of a life without any refinements and even at times protection and yet showing an attitude that accepts whatever life can throw at her, whilst ploughing ahead! It is quite possible that it’s an album that few men would necessarily buy with it’s predominately female referenced songs, but they would be the losers, missing out on some incredibly strong tales of life. She seems to be in similar territory to early Nanci Griffith in as much as whilst there is beauty in many of these songs they are still a long way from the cloyingly sweet country music so beloved of the mainstream.
Album opener Jigs & Reels & Ferris Wheels, at first seems a pretty much standard format country song, being a really nice ballad about the perils of love on the road and yet Katys full of grit, beautifully sung vocal, with it’s steel guitar accompaniment and down to earth lyrics lift the song way above that standard. This applies to many of the songs on this excellent recording, with Mama in many ways being the most powerful with it’s terribly sad story of a mother who had an unbelievably hard, sordid life and with absolutely no redemption, but with some beautiful country instrumentation and playing given a further lift by Katy’s evocative vocals. Mary Katherine Magdalena is another thought provokingly powerful story with gorgeous haunting fiddle and dobro accompaniment on an incredibly sad and yet uplifting tale of motherhood foisted upon a young innocent catholic girl, and the effect it had on her. Time Machine is a beautiful lost love ballad with a slightly different slant to usual with her evocative vocals that tug at the heartstrings creating an atmosphere of sad desperation and regret although this is by no means an album of miserable songs! I’m Not Depressed, despite the serious subject matter is a humourous, at times accurate, tale
of depression and Circus Folk is a really good mid tempo tale of picking yourself up dusting yourself down and falling again! Not all songs have the power of Mama but what album does. Certainly there are one or two that whilst they are not filler, don’t work quite as well, including the only cover, Steve Winwoods Can’t find my way home.
Having said all that, you can’t be doing much wrong if the weakest song on your album is a Winwood penned ditty and there certainly is very little wrong with this classy album of country music!
http://katyboyd.com
4****
It’s safe to say that this album has some of the best, most sharply observed tales of life with all it’s warts, in modern day country music. In fact that can be extended to any form of
music, such is the power of the stories that this tremendously talented country singer songwriter has come up with. Easy listening they certainly aren’t, but quite evocative, at times harrowing, stories they certainly are.
This is her second solo album, the first being ‘Ain’t No Fairy Tale, although she also has a duo album with Marty Atkinson that has also just been released under the title ‘Blue Cactus Choir.’
I’ve yet to hear either but if they are anywhere near as good as ‘Paper Hearts’ they will be well worth listening to.
Of the ten songs on this album nine are written by Katy and one is a cover of Steve Winwood’s Can’t find my way home. The recording was all done in Nashville with the assistance of some real quality musicians including Fats Kaplin on steel guitar and accordion, Justin Moses on fiddle, mandolin and banjo, Thomm Jutz on guitars, keyboards and harmony vocals with Katy herself on acoustic guitar as well as lead vocals. She possesses a lovely confident feminine singing voice
that is full of maturity and laden with character on these songs that are short on flowery illusion and strong on realism, also including some gorgeous melodies. In fact, many of the songs are rooted in some harsh lessons and observations of a life without any refinements and even at times protection and yet showing an attitude that accepts whatever life can throw at her, whilst ploughing ahead! It is quite possible that it’s an album that few men would necessarily buy with it’s predominately female referenced songs, but they would be the losers, missing out on some incredibly strong tales of life. She seems to be in similar territory to early Nanci Griffith in as much as whilst there is beauty in many of these songs they are still a long way from the cloyingly sweet country music so beloved of the mainstream.
Album opener Jigs & Reels & Ferris Wheels, at first seems a pretty much standard format country song, being a really nice ballad about the perils of love on the road and yet Katys full of grit, beautifully sung vocal, with it’s steel guitar accompaniment and down to earth lyrics lift the song way above that standard. This applies to many of the songs on this excellent recording, with Mama in many ways being the most powerful with it’s terribly sad story of a mother who had an unbelievably hard, sordid life and with absolutely no redemption, but with some beautiful country instrumentation and playing given a further lift by Katy’s evocative vocals. Mary Katherine Magdalena is another thought provokingly powerful story with gorgeous haunting fiddle and dobro accompaniment on an incredibly sad and yet uplifting tale of motherhood foisted upon a young innocent catholic girl, and the effect it had on her. Time Machine is a beautiful lost love ballad with a slightly different slant to usual with her evocative vocals that tug at the heartstrings creating an atmosphere of sad desperation and regret although this is by no means an album of miserable songs! I’m Not Depressed, despite the serious subject matter is a humourous, at times accurate, tale
of depression and Circus Folk is a really good mid tempo tale of picking yourself up dusting yourself down and falling again! Not all songs have the power of Mama but what album does. Certainly there are one or two that whilst they are not filler, don’t work quite as well, including the only cover, Steve Winwoods Can’t find my way home.
Having said all that, you can’t be doing much wrong if the weakest song on your album is a Winwood penned ditty and there certainly is very little wrong with this classy album of country music!
http://katyboyd.com