Mark Beaumont-Thomas is back with a review of another great Bluegrass/Folk/ uncategoraisable album
What a
great record this is, full of carefully crafted tunes, beautiful playing and judicious guest contributions, including from Taj Mahal (on Fédon) and Allison Russell (on In Montreal) no less. Kaia Kater has been releasing albums for a decade now, and that experience and maturity shines through on this release.
Kater is clearly an accomplished banjo player, and while this is an Americana album in the widest sense, it is not the dominant instrument here, as there are jazz and soul influences at play too. All ten tracks are a similar length, and it’s clear Kater has mastered to perfection the arc of a 3-to-4 minute track. Nothing outlasts its stay, but each one twists, turns and resolves perfectly along the way.
The occasional jazz inflections, the instrumentation surprises, the striking but economical use of strings and horns, all conjure late 1970s’ Joni Mitchell (the highest praise…). Her vocal style is unique though, sinuous and intimate and rather beguiling. The Taj Mahal track Fédon proves to be the title track in its lyrics, and while a highlight, there’s no need to pick out tracks as all 10 merit their place, and heard together as a 36-minute album, it’s a great suite of songs.
As a Grenadian-Canadian, Kater on this album seems to be proud and fierce about her heritage, particularly in a country seemingly not always embracing diversity. She shares the warrior spirit of fellow Canadian Allison Russell, so wonderfully evident on Russell’s 2023 album The Returner. If you like that album, this might just be your next great purchase… Kaia Kater is in the UK in October 2024 for a brief tour, well worth tracking down.
