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Editorial Reviews
Most artists take fewer and fewer risks as they get older, but Kathy Mattea is a striking exception. She didn t play it safe while
she charted mainstream country hits 16 of them reaching the top ten and she s not about to start now.
Four years ago, Mattea, one of the most sure-footed country-pop song interpreters of her generation, caught everyone off guard
with an album of old-timey Appalachian mining songs called Coal. She s delved even deeper into her Appalachian heritage with
Calling Me Home, available from Sugar Hill. Co-produced with modern acoustic mastermind Gary
Paczosa and featuring liner notes from bestselling author, and Kentucky-born kindred spirit, Barbara Kingsolver.
she charted mainstream country hits 16 of them reaching the top ten and she s not about to start now.
Four years ago, Mattea, one of the most sure-footed country-pop song interpreters of her generation, caught everyone off guard
with an album of old-timey Appalachian mining songs called Coal. She s delved even deeper into her Appalachian heritage with
Calling Me Home, available from Sugar Hill. Co-produced with modern acoustic mastermind Gary
Paczosa and featuring liner notes from bestselling author, and Kentucky-born kindred spirit, Barbara Kingsolver.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Kathy Mattea's latest effort just may be her best yet. A superb collection of songs that celebrate the rich history of the Appalachian Mountains, Mattea's new CD "Calling Me Home" follows her critically acclaimed "Coal" album with a diverse set of songs which treat the listener to virtually a poetry reading set to music. The songwriting is impeccable here, as is the singing, which further cements Mattea's expertise at interpreting material as though it indeed flowed from her own pen.
From the opening strains of Michael and Janet Dowling's brisk and endearing, fiddle driven "A Far Cry", to the closing instrumental number "Requiem for A Mountain", Mattea grabs hold of your attention, tugs at your heart and never lets go. In between the opening and closing tracks, there are themes of the love of the land where one comes from, such as the aforementioned "A Far Cry", and the tender "West Virginia, My Home". The theme of coal is ever present as well, in the moving "West Virginia Mining Disaster" and "Hello My Name Is Coal". Also beautifully executed is Jean Ritchie's "Black Waters". a heartbreaking lament of the environmental devastation wrought by the mining of coal, leaving the waters polluted beyond redemption.
Best of all perhaps is the stunning acapella treatment of two Alice Gerrard compositions, the title track "Calling Me Home" and "Now Is The Cool of the Day". The former is a treatise on death and the latter a reflective hymn of sorts about the beauty of the earth to which God has entrusted the stewardship of to man, with the implication that the day of reckoning has come for our failure to oversee admirably the bounty entrusted to us.
Laurie Lewis's "The Wood Thrush's Song" and "The Maple's Lament" are also superb, but the crowning achievement of the disc for me is the shimmery and absolutely breathtaking Alice Gerrard composition "Agate Hill", a song about saying goodbye to a friend who has died. Equal parts dirge and lullaby, the song is devastating in its power. With lines such as "Oh, the words we've left unsaid, flood into my soul. And I know you hear them now even as you go". The instrumentation and Mattea's voice blend seamlessly and the lyrics are pure poetry set against a flawless sonic background.
This is a must CD if you love Kathy Mattea. I speak as someone who owns every record Mattea has recorded and they are all stellar. "Calling Me Home" continues that grand tradition. Five stars for both Mattea and her astonishing band of musicians for keeping the music of Appalachia vibrant and alive!
From the opening strains of Michael and Janet Dowling's brisk and endearing, fiddle driven "A Far Cry", to the closing instrumental number "Requiem for A Mountain", Mattea grabs hold of your attention, tugs at your heart and never lets go. In between the opening and closing tracks, there are themes of the love of the land where one comes from, such as the aforementioned "A Far Cry", and the tender "West Virginia, My Home". The theme of coal is ever present as well, in the moving "West Virginia Mining Disaster" and "Hello My Name Is Coal". Also beautifully executed is Jean Ritchie's "Black Waters". a heartbreaking lament of the environmental devastation wrought by the mining of coal, leaving the waters polluted beyond redemption.
Best of all perhaps is the stunning acapella treatment of two Alice Gerrard compositions, the title track "Calling Me Home" and "Now Is The Cool of the Day". The former is a treatise on death and the latter a reflective hymn of sorts about the beauty of the earth to which God has entrusted the stewardship of to man, with the implication that the day of reckoning has come for our failure to oversee admirably the bounty entrusted to us.
Laurie Lewis's "The Wood Thrush's Song" and "The Maple's Lament" are also superb, but the crowning achievement of the disc for me is the shimmery and absolutely breathtaking Alice Gerrard composition "Agate Hill", a song about saying goodbye to a friend who has died. Equal parts dirge and lullaby, the song is devastating in its power. With lines such as "Oh, the words we've left unsaid, flood into my soul. And I know you hear them now even as you go". The instrumentation and Mattea's voice blend seamlessly and the lyrics are pure poetry set against a flawless sonic background.
This is a must CD if you love Kathy Mattea. I speak as someone who owns every record Mattea has recorded and they are all stellar. "Calling Me Home" continues that grand tradition. Five stars for both Mattea and her astonishing band of musicians for keeping the music of Appalachia vibrant and alive!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
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Kathy Mattea
"Calling Me Home"
(Sugar Hill, 2012)
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If you liked Kathy Mattea's 2008 album, "Coal," about the hardships and heartbreak of coal mining, then you'll love this record, too. It's a moody, mournful mix of country and quiet folk, a lushly arranged set of music exploring the history and culture of Appalachia, with songs by Jean Ritchie, Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, bluegrasser Laurie Lewis and labor activist Si Kahn, digging deep into the poetic soul of the East Coast's mountains and forest lands. She's backed by several top tier bluegrass artists -- Stuart Duncan, Tim O'Brien, Randy Kohrs, Bryan Sutton and others -- with harmony vocals from Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless and Aoife O'Donnell (the Harris-Loveless-Mattea trio on "Black Waters" is not to be missed!) The dignity of the Eastern mountains and the people who live there is brought into modern times... Mattea's fans, particularly those who liked the "Coal" album, will definitely want to check this out. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To Country Music)
Kathy Mattea
"Calling Me Home"
(Sugar Hill, 2012)
-------------------------------------------------------------
If you liked Kathy Mattea's 2008 album, "Coal," about the hardships and heartbreak of coal mining, then you'll love this record, too. It's a moody, mournful mix of country and quiet folk, a lushly arranged set of music exploring the history and culture of Appalachia, with songs by Jean Ritchie, Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, bluegrasser Laurie Lewis and labor activist Si Kahn, digging deep into the poetic soul of the East Coast's mountains and forest lands. She's backed by several top tier bluegrass artists -- Stuart Duncan, Tim O'Brien, Randy Kohrs, Bryan Sutton and others -- with harmony vocals from Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless and Aoife O'Donnell (the Harris-Loveless-Mattea trio on "Black Waters" is not to be missed!) The dignity of the Eastern mountains and the people who live there is brought into modern times... Mattea's fans, particularly those who liked the "Coal" album, will definitely want to check this out. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To Country Music)
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
"Calling Me Home" as well as "Coal" are the best CDs that I have purchased in quite a while. Kathy's voice is beautiful, as usual. The Instrumentation on both albums is understated, simple and just perfect for these songs. I only hope that she continues exploring these West Virginia/Kentucky/Coal Mining songs. I just bought "Calling Me Home" on the day it was released and I am already awaiting the next CD from this gifted and talented lady.........If I may, I'd like to also recommend the "Music of Coal" box set of music from the Appalachian coalfields. Some primitive stuff on these CDs but a perfect compliment to Kathy's outstanding music.......PLEASE keep it up, Kathy........Thank you for what you've given to the world of music.....God bless you
John Shepherd
Chesapeake, Va
John Shepherd
Chesapeake, Va
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Mattea CD
This is a cd that my husband and I have listened to many times. Kathy Mattea has a great voice. Several of the songs deal with coal mining, and are heart-breaking, and she sings... Read more
Published 1 hour ago by "Ali"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mattea Sings Her Way Home
Kathy Mattea goes back to her roots in this album. The songs are soulful, from the heart. They are the real thing, and I love to listen to them. Read more
Published 2 months ago by R. Bidwell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Calling Me Home
Good performance by a good song writer.
I would recommend this to all lovers of country style going back home dreamers
I would recommend this to all lovers of country style going back home dreamers
Published 2 months ago by John L. Summers
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kathy delivers!
Saw her in concert recently- love this bluegrass album - I am glad she chose to go back to her roots
Agate hill and maples lament are the best!
Agate hill and maples lament are the best!
Published 2 months ago by songbird
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Album!
I love this album! I am actually from the area where these songs come from and they are sung with great feeling and give me great joy!
Published 3 months ago by E. J. Kirkbride
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best from Kathy Mattea!
This is hands-down the BEST Kathy Mattea cd ever!!!! I bought it first at one of Kathy's concerts where she sang alot of these songs. The songs are haunting and touching. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Lisaboo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just Right
My wife's favorite artist. She loves it, touching lyrics, great guitar and a beautiful voice join together for a wonderful CD.
Published 3 months ago by Michael Slayton
3.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous vocals, superb music, couldn't relate at all to it
I have been a fan of Kathy Matte's for over 20 years and I have found her work to be very emotionally touching and just a true pleasure to listen to. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. Nancy A. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kathy is a winner
My husband and I have been a Kathy Mattea fan club member for many years. She has touched so many people during her singing career. She has some good songs true to everyday life. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Wanda L. Trester
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfection
Not many singers can stir the emotions like Kathy Mattea, yet not manipulative. If you like this CD, (and you will) check out "Coal", another brilliant set.
Published 4 months ago by C. Raper
