Heidi Petrikat
Galilee
Heidi Petrikat is a prime example of the sparkling talent bubbling beneath the indie scene. Actually, to label Petrikat as “indie” would be misleading. Her highly melodic and emotional pop/rock songs are a cut above the amateur hours that characterize much of today’s American underground.
Petrikat writes catchy, literate and addictive songs. You can compare her to other females in the singer/songwriter genre – Natalie Merchant and even Jewel come to mind – but she writes from her own experiences. “Away With You” and “Dimensions” are both instantly likeable, engaging the ears with wind-swept vocals. Petrikat has a real singer’s voice; it hits the right notes yet it doesn’t sound stiff. You can sense the emotion in her vocals, the passion she puts in her words. It’s the antithesis of the indie movement, which is to remain at a distance. That’s not Petrikat. Even when her lyrics are subject to interpretation, as on the title track, her feelings pour through.
If Petrikat at times sounds like a wounded young girl, there’s never a sense that she is giving in to her sadness; the songs are pretty upbeat in the same way the best work of The Cranberries, Madder Rose, and The Sundays are – folksy pop with a tinge of melancholy. It’s all quite pretty and very moving at times.
Heidi Petrikat: http://www.heidipetrikat.org
