Kat Goldman
Sing Your Song
Self-Released
Singer/songwriter Kat Goldman positions herself as an Artist to Watch on this self-released disc. Distancing herself, either self-consciously or not, from much of the femme bubblegum angst popping out of My Space pages, Goldman writes with a personal eye – hardly any of these tracks are fashioned with MTV in mind. Though these are songs that anybody can relate to, lyrically, Goldman mines the universal themes of love and loss in a sometimes unconventional manner. For example, in “Damn Town” her heart is stolen from her as a motorcycle pulls away, the object of her affection cruising with another gal.
Musically, Goldman doesn’t settle for simple hooks. “Red Canoe” conjures a wave of incandescent instrumental beauty; it makes you want to sit and admire it, savoring each string of the acoustic guitar. There aren’t many artists these days, female or otherwise, who would risk crafting such lush sounds without considering their lack of commercial potential. In a way, that makes Goldman a throwback to musicians who once went into the studio for the purpose of creating art. Not art in the pretentious sense of the word, but it was only twenty years ago that Tracy Chapman debuted on a major label with the intimate, stark narrative of “Fast Car.”
You can feel the emotion in Goldman’s vocals, but she never goes overboard like Tori Amos. There are no melodramatic instances here. Just hear her plaintive singing on “Angel Child” and tell me you’re not touched.
Kat Goldman: http://www.katgoldman.com
