Katy Soljak: Morning Rain Blues

By P M Berry

Katy Soljak penned these 10 songs which follow a well-worn blues road map of the witchy woman kind. Her vocal tone reminds me of Marianne Faithful, yet without the ton-of-bricks attitude, and I found myself yearning for some taking of chances, to yield an edge to call its own. The reverb and production do not seem to translate well to the present day and the melodies are mostly unadventurous, making this seem like a throwback to the '80s. Songs Adrienne, Busking Blues and Nobody's Woman are strongest, the latter being the most overt example of what could be a succinct direction for Soljak, with the looseness of the drums and band suiting the track. There are some cool, dark lyrics and nice guitar playing, but as the vocals never deliver outside a certain emotional neighbourhood, this heart remained untouched and empathy untapped. The cover art is effective and the content is of that accessible, mostly cafe-style blues we are all familiar with. Recorded by guitarist Mano Pratt and keyboardist Nick Stevens at Mano Tangi Wairua Studio on Waiheke Island, it is available through Gala Records.

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Issues

NZ Musician

October/November 2007