Kate Steele
Curve Of The Earth
© 2008 Kate Steele (796873078061)
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Haunting, narrative-driven folk.
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notes
"Kate Steele has a truly beautiful voice and a real natural way with a song."
-- Ron Sexsmith
"Kate's new record is a beautiful mix of Margo Timmins-esque vocals and barefoot, rootsy imagery." -- Leeroy Stagger
"With a field as full as the female singer songwriter genre, it takes something really special to differentiate itself. Not only does it take a person of exceptional talent, but often it will even take these lucky few a couple of albums to really find their niche. Not so with Kate Steele on this, her debut album. First, Steele shows tremendous maturity in her lyrics. They are earnest and poignant and, more importantly, devoid of any pretentious wordplay that often mars other entries in this genre. These refreshingly honest lyrics are wrapped in Steele’s beautiful voice. Her control over this, her most valuable instrument, again belies this being her first full length album. Her arrangements tread a fine line between country and folk, throwing in dobro and mandolin from time to time as accents. The result is one of the finest first outings I have ever heard, and I already look forward to the next."
--Matt Chomistek of Beatroute Magazine, Calgary
"Following the best in the singer-song writer tradition, Steele’s music presents honest and playful, if somewhat melancholy, reflections on life. The track “Trouble,” for example, empathises with an unnamed protagonist who is subject to constant scrutiny from the narrow-minded, lest he exhibit what they think are signs of a mental disorder. And “First to Lose” laments the silence that greets the evidence of domestic violence on a fellow student’s face. But sandwiched between the two tracks is “Talking to Him,” in which Steele wraps a voice as clear as the Saskatchewan sky around the zydeco styling of an accordion and an offbeat ska rhythm. The song, in which a woman informs a past lover that she was thinking of Bob Dylan when she said she loved him, snaps along with gentle authority."
--Mark Vardy, Monday Magazine, Victoria
Kate Steele lives in Victoria, BC. She spent her childhood in a handful of small towns in Saskatchewan. She has also lived, worked and performed in the U.S. midwest, an island off the south coast of Japan and the Middle East.
It’s possible to see all of these places and the people Kate’s met in the songs of her debut album, Curve of the Earth.
Saskatchewan’s landscape plays powerfully in Kate’s lyrics and music and she maintains close ties with her family there. In BC, reviewers and fans have picked up on her small town roots, noting a warmth and a lack of pretension in both her music and in her shows.
Kate’s musical influences include Gillian Welch, Joni Mitchell, Ron Sexsmith, Sarah Harmer and Bob Dylan.
Her attention to lyrics developed in part through her appreciation of these songwriters and through her study of writing in university.
reviews
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- author: Sarah Keenan
I heard Kate play a few times in a quaint little cafe when we were both living on an island in the East China Sea. Years later, many miles traveled and people met since, she still comes to mind often. Sitting at my desk last night I had an urge to hear her sing and was thrilled to find a few songs on the CBC Radio 3 website. Imagine my great delight to see she has a CD out now! Do yourself a favor and buy it ... music to relax to and lyrics that speak of life and what makes us human. Congrats Kate - I am so happy for you! I hope it's the first of many!
Finally, a CD!
author: Brian SabinKate's music always gets me in this weird, peaceful mood. Hard to explain, but very unique and addicting.
Great!
author: Tom & Anna CourtKate Steele is a very talented song writer and performer. We had the opportunity to see her perform live and we were always impressed with how beautiful her singing and guitar playing was while somehow making it all seem so effortless at the same time. She's a prolific songwriter and we have no doubt that this album is just a sample of even greater things to come. Way to go, Kate!