Kathleen Grace (with Larry Goldings) Tie Me To You

Kathleen Grace (with Larry Goldings)
Tie Me To You
Monsoon Records

Singer and songwriter Kathleen Grace embraces roots within the blues, folk, and pop realms with a jazz tinge. With keyboardist Larry Goldings, who has worked with James Taylor, Norah Jones, John Mayer, and others, she has engaged in this project with bassist David Piltch and violinist Gabe Witcher contributing to this effort. Goldings himself plays piano, organ, pocket piano, and glockenspiel.

This recording arose in part because of Grace's awakening self-awareness. This self-awareness led to changes in her social relationships. As a result, she wrote songs that dealt with these changes. "Tie Me To You" features original music by both Grace and Goldings as well as covers of pieces by French icon Francois Hardy, blues legend Son House, and The Beatles, and standards by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers & Hart.

What impresses one listening to this recording is not merely how lovely a voice Kathleen Grace has, but the clarity and purity of her singing with a heartfelt expression of hurt and love in the performances. The title track, with Goldings' harpsichord sounding keyboards and Witcher's subtle one-person string session, has her sweet plea to be tied to her love. Her soft voice provides a melancholy interpretation of the Rodgers-Hart penned "Where or When" with Goldings' overdubbed keyboards providing an understated backing for the yearning she expresses here.

Grace's "Everywhere" would be at home on an Americana show or folk festival with her folk-guitar and Witcher's folk-country fiddle accompanying her sweet singing. An unexpected cover is her adaptation of Son House's recording of "John the Revelator." Of course, her soft, clean diction and gentle phrasing contrasts to Son House, who sang as if he was pouring out his entire soul. Goldings adds a simple, uncluttered solo here. Grace sings with charm in French on "Berceuse," a song that evokes a French musical hall or cabaret. This song is followed by a plaintive interpretation of the torch song, "The Thrill is Gone." It has another splendid accompaniment and solo by Goldings. Like most of this recording, the listener is moved by the simple directness of the performance. Witcher's one-person string section and Goldings' skeletal accompaniment, Grace treats the listener to a subtly seductive performance of 'Love For Sale."

On "What'll I Do," Grace wonders how she will recover from the end of a romance. Golding's elegant piano accompanies her honeyed vocal. On her last song, she provides an answer singing she will follow the sun, even if she must leave one behind on a tuneful cover of The Beatles' "I'll Follow the Sun." It caps an exquisite, sophisticated, and very appealing recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a video of  Kathleen Grace and Larry Goldings performing Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do."