Some of greater-Boston/New England’s best artist needs to be examined in retrospect. This retro review of Katrin’s 2004 release Nature Spirit came about simply because Nature Spirit happened to be sitting on the shelf at a local Bull Moose music store in Salem, New Hampshire when a music journalist just happened to be looking through the K section in the pop-rock shelves. Katrin’s reputation for recording quality singer-songwriter albums didn’t hurt. Though she’s now performing under the name Kat Chapman, this 2004 album can be found under the artist name Katrin.
Opening track “Dreams” makes a strong musical statement. Katrin’s vocal, powerful over her acoustic guitar work, feels like a clarion call as she pushes her voice through her twisty lyrics. When her support players become flintier in the guitar, more bulbous in the low end, more assertive in the percussion. Katrin becomes even stronger in her expression and the listener can only wonder how she can sing with such powerful exaltation while maintaining a balancer with her dynamic band.
“The March” begins with an engaging backbeat as well as with bulbous low end. Segue into “Blame” and again Katrin sings with a powerful voice. Yet, here , her voice, instead of having a rhythmic underpinning like the previous track, travels more freely, looser, yet just as refined in technique and just as festive spiritually.
“Earthen” focuses lyrically on our mother planet. Katrin’s voice, offered in smaller portions in this outing, matches well with her snappy lyrics and catchy chorus. Katrin’s self-restraint lets her fill her lyrics with warmth and enthusiasm. As her lyrics make logical sense in their plea to take care of the only world we have, her vocal brings those words to spiritual life. One can enjoy singing along with Katrin while feeling the passion she feels for our sacred place in the universe.
Long and unwieldy in a good way, “Wildflower” finds Katrin cooing her way into our consciousness with her lovely vocal application. It contrasts well with her rippling acoustic guitar notes and action packed chords. Kevin Marini’s bass guitar work, flexible and churning, proves a fantastic diving board for Katrin to bounce her lead vocal off of. Drummer Pete Abdou provides bits of appealing thump beneath Katrin’s voice as she launches into a beautifully massive sustain. It’s a particularly strong juxtaposition of voice and music.
Katrin sings with a more gentle application on “River,” quietly asserting her voice over a circular pattern in her acoustic guitar which replicates the motion of running water. Katrin’s self-restraint seems to make this tune all the more lively. Her voice shoots out over her guitar with a precise aim, am aim that arcs midway through her lyrics but ends up hitting her desired midpoint in her musical range. This too contributes to a river motion, starting each verse from a high point that leveling it just before she reaches the end of her verse.
“Luna” peppers the listener with bits of tasty acoustic guitar. Contrasting that with her jutting vocal melody, Katrin conjures the spirit of the restless personification she sings of. This singer-songwriter builds intensity with only a mild switch in dynamics, tempo, and spirit, controlling numerous moving parts with the force of her voice.
“Love Is A Dance” feels as free as a bird, Katrin letting her voice ride high before letting it casually come back down. Her pretty vocal assertions jut out over her sly, lightly strummed acoustic guitar chords. This singer-songwriter is a master of contrasting her strong, ranging vocal smoothness against the ripples in her multiple, swiftly moving chords. That contrast lets her voice carry her theme right to the listener’s heart as she sings with a mighty assertion.
The catchy “Present Moment” starts out as gentle as a bird song before Katrin draws us in more intensely with a firebrand chorus. She belts it like a rocker before segueing back into her quieter verses. Yet, even when she’s quiet she can build up the expectation of something more intense by subtly shifting the gears in her voice. There are also some sustains in here that remind of the great singers of modern music.
Close out track “Butterfly” is an amicable farewell for now piece from Katrin. Her breathy, whispery vocal glides over a tender acoustic guitar line, vocal and guitar both convincing the listener that something special is in a special motion, fluttering beautifully above flowers, grass, and other small, winged creatures. Creating this sense of motion is only one tool in Katrin’s bag of tricks. Making it all sound very pretty is another.
Katrin Roush manages to release one of these singer-songwriter albums every few years. Like her previous and following efforts, 2004’s Nature Spirit is marked by her powerful, rangy vocals, intelligent songwriting, sensitive acoustic guitar work, and engaging support players like Kevin Marini, Pete Abdou, Michael “The Butcher” Labeau, and Mark Dailey. Co-produced by Mark Dailey and Katrin, Nature Spirit was recorded at E. Dagener Productions in Quincy, Massachusetts to a high degree of sound quality, a quality that lets the vocals and the instruments shine in all of their nuanced efforts.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/nature-spirit/115341978
