Soul HitchHiker
Desolation Hero
© 2004 Karan Andrea (783707956428)
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"The gospel classic 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' is given a 21st century cynicism. But it's the bottomless chasm of Andrea's voice on 'Steel Cowboy' or the malevolent blues of 'His Name is John'that is the band's real power." --Maverick (UK)
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"...arguably the smartest woman musician in all of upstate New York."
--Elliott Randall, guitarist (Steely Dan, and many others), producer, composer
REVIEWS
Michael Mee, Maverick Magazine (UK)
"Andrea instantly displays a deep understanding of the dark underbelly of country music. In her world, the sequins have fallen off and the cowboy boots have all got mud on them...
"Andrea is blessed with an inky black voice, when she launches into 'She Falls So Hard' [sic] and 'Jukebox' you find yourself reaching for the bottle to drown someone else's sorrows...
"The gospel classic 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' is given a 21st century cynicism, while the distinctly un-country 'Liberation Radio' merely confirms that [she] is looking ahead rather than over [her] shoulder. But it's the bottomless chasm of Andrea's voice on 'Steel Cowboy' or the malevolent blues of 'His Name is John' that is the band's real power..."
Bob Silvestri, Night-Life Magazine
"With a soulful and reserved style...Andrea's vocals wrap around you like a favorite blanket and feels warm and comfortable..."
SOUL HITCHHIKER: DESOLATION HERO
Songwriter Karan Andrea draws on rock, old soul and country influences in this CD. Her original songs are character-driven vignettes; however, she does not sacrifice melody for story. "Shut Out the Light" tells the story of a railroad worker's hard life and the choices he makes. "His Name is John" describes an inmate so deeply disturbed that "he don't know what makes him mean."
The woman in "Jukebox" searches for salvation in the music she finds on the bar jukebox, as does the speaker in "Desolation Hero" (the title track): "Ah, but troubled angels have captured my soul, lift me up through the night to where Gabriel blows and the band starts up funky like Muscle Shoals."
Most of these songs are socio-political in nature, describing the interaction between characters and the reality of their lives and choices. However, "Dead Presidents" is written in a Woody Guthrie meets Bruce Springsteen-style. Andrea combines the cultural power of the gospel song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" with vignettes from contemporary history that trace the impact of an unbroken circle of exploitation on everyday people.
KARAN ANDREA - BIO
Originally from Kentucky, Andrea moved to Buffalo, NY from North Carolina. Some of her songs reflect her love of simple and familiar blues/country structures, while other songs are less traditional. In those songs, her chord choices may be a bit unorthodox, but they are grounded by her sense of melody.
Andrea's philosophy is different from many performing songwriters. Although her songs are mostly character-driven stories, the melody and instrumentation are more important to her.
"Nobody has higher expectations of a lyric than I do," she says, "but I'm not under the illusion that anyone is going to walk away from one of my gigs, or listen to the CD once and have a complete understanding of the stories I'm telling. That's too much to expect. With a live situation, it's far more important that the emotion is there. You have to give people good music, make them dance, make them feel something.
"Same with the CD. You have to make it compelling enough that people want to listen more closely. And maybe, if I'm very lucky, that's when they'll get the full impact of the songs. I'm telling a larger story here, and that larger story takes a longer time to process."
reviews
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the music breathes and pulsates with soul
author: Mia Darkstar~The music within this CD has life ~ it breathes and pulsates with a soul of its own. As you listen to the music ~ the entity that it becomes opens up to you ~ inviting you to join the journey.
Nice production and very radio friendly
author: Chris WebsterI think the music really reflects on a personal level with the artist. Everything is real and I think Karan captured her charicters and gave them life (Except John) Poor Basterd I really liked john but that another story, I am looking forward in helping promo the CD thanks Kar Love Ya Chris Webster
What an amazing find!
author: dolphinWhat an amazing find! Picked up on a whim, I am thoroughly enjoying Soul HitchHiker’s first CD. Karan Andrea’s songs tell moving, thought-provoking stories and are packed with energy and emotion. You can tell, without even reading the liner notes, that she draws from a wide array of musical stylings – blues, gospel, rock – and blends them remarkably well. Her cover of I Wish it Would Rain is fun and funky; Liberation Radio is a great driving tune; and the title track, Desolation Hero, is simply haunting with her vocal arrangement and Jim Runfola’s sax work.