Customer Reviews

Coal

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The albums UNTASTED HONEY and TIME PASSES BY were always the standard I held Kathy Mattea to, and they are both from a much earlier period in her career. Continuing to buy Mattea's CD's now and then, I had grown resigned that she just couldn't surpass those two high water marks, where folk met country and country met bluegrass and everything was blended beautifully by that powerful voice. She's had some great songs through the years since then, and good records, too, don't get me wrong. But now, finally, Mattea has reached a new career touchstone.

As Patty Loveless and Dolly Parton have done before her, Kathy has returned to her roots, and like them, she has set a new standard for herself. This record is so gorgeous, it's hard to be objective about its dark subject. The instrumentals, singing and song selections reveal themselves quickly, though, leaving no doubt that this is a labor of love. And while I'm gushing, let me also say that Mattea is doing the most sensitive and dynamic singing of her life, and it's brought to life through a very crisp and clear recording that captures her warmth in deep, rich tones. As others have written on these pages, Kathy Mattea comes from coal, and knows her subject deeply. This may also account for the extra emotion that fuels her voice throughout this work. It sounds both effortless and soulful, a hallmark of artistry that has reached full maturity.

Now, depressing as some ot the subject matter is, here, I just can't help but be moved by the beauty of these songs, and Mattea's singing. Many of the songs are associated with other artists and some of the songs are very old. Utah Phillips' "Green Rolling Hills" contains instrumental strains of "Wildwood Flower." Judy Collins recorded "Coal Tattoo" on an early album, and Kathy easily holds her own in comparison, supported by a fiddle-driven arrangement. Mattea speeds up "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," which Patty Loveless included so perfectly on her MOUNTAIN SOUL album. It's nice that Mattea didn't dry to copy it, but made it her own, and yet respectfully so. Many artists have recorded "Dark As A Dungeon." Merle Travis (its writer), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Dolly Parton all made some beautiful recordings of the song, and this is the only one on COAL that is bested by those earlier versions. Still, this track bears the grace of Kathy Mattea's unique style. Less atmospheric and folksier, in the early part, than Dolly's arrangement was, it nevertheless grew on me as I listened, and then, there it was: the entire mood, both earthy and ethereal. It's a superb performance from Kathy. "The Coming Of the Roads" was also recorded by Judy Collins and memorably by Peter, Paul & Mary, but here Kathy steals their thunder. What a sweet, sad and perfectly sung piece of folk loveliness! Those godmothers and godfathers of folk would be proud of this performance, if they ever heard it ... as would Jean Ritchie, if she could hear the two songs of hers which start this album off so grippingly.

The CD ends with an appropriate, accapella vocal of Hazel Dickens' "Black Lung," followed by a mournful instrumental, "Coal," put together as one track. This nearly perfect concept album is, after all, about the livelihood, the land (both below and above the ground), and most of all, the humanity of those whose work often, ultimately, kills them. Mattea loves this land and these people, but she does not flinch in the face of reality, showing the bad with the good, and without passing judgment. This shows the true depth of her respect, helping to make listening to this collection a transcendent experience for me. I don't claim to have any firsthand knowledge of that which Mattea sings, but due to her ability to paint these portraits and landscapes with her multi-colored voice, it sure feels as though she has given me a window to see this other world through.

If you are a Kathy Mattea fan, but prefer her more peppy pop hits (no disrespect meant), you should buy this CD with caution. But if you just love Kathy Mattea, period, then you owe yourself a copy of this little gem; it's truly a diamond cut from coal.

Kathy Mattea's "Coal" is an album of coal mining songs. Having come from West Virgina Mattea knows a thing or two about the life of a coal miner. The songs on here are all pretty bleak and as dark as the coal of which they were written about. The album is not depressing however. Many of these songs of been recorded by many others, but Mattea makes them her own with her beautiful vocals. There isn't a weak track on here, the entire album from start to finish is an incredible piece of work. However the most incredible track on here is the final track, "Black Lung" sung a capella Mattea is breathtaking.
"Coal" is the first album released on Mattea's own "Captain Potato Records" (say "Kathy Mattea" real fast and you'll understand where she got the name of her label from) and is produced beautifully by Marty Stuart. As with other artists who have been dropped from a major label and gone out and released their music thru their own labels, Mattea is free to do the music she likes and it shows on every track. Although "Coal" could very well be the best album she's every made, it does rank up there with her "Time Passes By", "Lonesome Standard Time" and "Love Travels" albums as well as her Christmas album, "Good News".
If you're a fan of Kathy Mattea you will love this album.

Kathy Mattea definitely knows her way around music. And, like Patty Loveless with "Mountain Soul", I always love when a performer goes back to their roots. I mean literal roots, where they grew up and the music that permeated their childhood. You know you're going to get genuine, "really been there because I lived it" music. While Loveless has the plaintive thing down better, Kathy still works the material very well.

I can't say that every single song is a gem, but from only one listen, I know this has no lumps of coal (sorry); all the songs are well done and are tributes to the writers, other performers and especially to the people about whom these were written.

You can hear when there is love involved in a music project because the performances are more vital and alive; the artist and their accompanying musicians are vested in the performances because they know this music as though it is part of the very fabric of their being -- because it is. That's when you get an album like this.

So, yes, this is definitely a keeper and one of Kathy's best efforts.

I was first introduced to Kathy Mattea nearly 20 years ago, when she was more of a Country-style singer. I have liked her voice from the start, as it reminded me a little of a cross between Anne Murray and Lori Lieberman (two of my other favorite female singers!). As time has passed, however, Kathy has been delving more into folk, bluegrass and Celtic music -- and I have enjoyed her voice even more.

"Coal" is one of her best albums to date. These are all songs that are about and dedicated to the coal-mining lifestyle. As someone whose grandfathers were both coal miners -- and to whom Kathy has dedicated this album -- she has experienced much of what she sings about on this album, which also explains why she sings these songs with such pathos, passion and feeling.

Another thing which strikes me is the simplicity of this album, from the acoustic-only instrumentation (fiddles, mandolin, banjo, piano and guitars -- the acoustic guitar of which Kathy plays in a couple of tracks -- to the eco-friendly packaging (a cardboard rather than jewel case), which is also fitting with Kathy's environmental concerns.

Among the standouts on this album are "Red-Winged Blackbird," "Green Rolling Hills" (Kathy's tribute to Virginia), the fast-paced "Coal Tattoo," "Sally in the Garden" (a banjo solo by Stuart Duncan, represented by the love that coal miners had for Celtic music), "Dark as a Dungeon" (describing the life inside the coal mines), and the environmental cry in "Coming of the Roads."

Probably the biggest standout is "Black Lung/Coal." It starts out as a mandolin solo, and then segues into Kathy Mattea's beautiful a capella rendition of "Black Lung," describing a disease which has taken many a coal miner's life. After Kathy's solo, the acoustic instruments fade in to "Coal."

Just as black coal is transformed into diamonds, Kathy Mattea's "Coal" has transformed into a "gem" to be treasured!

Several time over the past year or so I have mentioned in this space, as part of my remembrances of my youth and of my political and familial background, that my father was a coal miner and the son of a coal miner in the hills of Hazard, Kentucky in the heart of Appalachia. I have also mentioned that he was a child of the Great Depression and of World War II. He often joked that in a choice between digging the coal and taking his chances in war he much preferred the latter. Thus, it was no accident that when war came he volunteered for the Marines and, as fate would have it despite a hard, hard life after the war, he never looked back to the mines.

All of this is by way of an introduction to this unusual tribute album. Of all the subjects that one could think of in the year 2008 fit for a full exposition the unsung life, trials and tribulations and grit of those who, for generations, mined the coal (and other minerals) and passed unnoticed in the hollows and hills of Appalachia (and the West) does not readily come to mind. Even for this long time labor militant. But Ms. Mattea, who has her own roots to the coal, has done a great service here. Kudos are in order.

Now politically the coal story is today a very disturbing one. For one, the strip mining of significant portions of places like Kentucky and West Virginia go on unabated and essentially unchecked. For another, the number of miners had dwindled to a very few and are getting fewer. As a labor militant I have feasted on the heroics of the Harlan and Hazard miners, the exploits of Big Big Haywood and the Western Federation of Miners and the class war battles from any number of isolated locales where men (mainly) dug the coal and fought for some sense of dignity. The dignity and sense of social solidarity may still remain but the virtues of the lessons of the class struggle- picket lines mean don't cross and class solidarity is essential- have clearly been eroded. That is the political part that cannot be separated from the musical part of this story. Why?

The songs selected for inclusion here spell out the condition of live for the miners, in short, as the political theorist Thomas Hobbes put it centuries ago- life is short, nasty and brutish in the mines and the mining communities. The songs like You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive and the choice of material by well-known mountain music songwriters Jean Ritchie, Billy Edd Wheeler and Hazel Dickens reflect that. Theses simple mountain tunes, as performed by Ms. Mattea and her fellow musicians, spell out the story with soft guitar, fiddle, mandolin and other instruments that create the proper mood. Probably it is very hard for those not familiar with the coal, the isolated communities and the sorrow of the mountains to listen to this compilation in one sitting. For that it probably takes the children of the coal. For the rest please bear with it and learn about an important part of American history and music.

In brief - COAL is a fantastic record and the best ever from Kathy Mattea.
Combining her talents with producer/super picker Marty Stuart and others, has created one of the best CD's of the year.

As a fan, I have been on the musical journey with Ms Mattea since her first records. She always creates something memorable, and worth re-listening to. COAL is wonderful from the first few lonesome notes of Stuart Duncan's fiddle to the final a cappela rendition of the song "Black Lung".

I can think of no higher compliment to Kathy, Marty and the other musicians that is impossible to just "play a song" from this CD and leave it. You wind up spellbound by it and want to hear the whole thing every time you play it. At least, I do!

Second intended compliment: If Kathy sings nothing but songs from COAL in her current shows, and little of her earlier stuff, I won't care!! I love the record that much.

Please note that this is a COMPLETELY independent release on Kathy's own label, Captain Potato. I doubt you'll hear a note of it on country radio. That's a damned shame, because fans of Kathy's music, acoustic country and bluegrass will love this CD.

Dean Eaton, Cambridge MA

Coal This is an extraordinary CD.I have never purchased any of Kathy Mattea's music, thinking when I heard her that she was pleasant to listen to, but that was the extent of it. However, after listening to an interview on PBS, I was intrigued enough to purchase this CD. I was mesmerized by a voice that is stronger and purer than I have ever heard from her before. Perhaps this is because of her emotional ties to the subject of coal. Her family has been employed and with the mines in West Virginia, her original home. She was born to make this album, it is a testimonial to those who have lived and still live this life. There are new songs and thankfully some older ballads. Someone needs to help preserve the musical heritage of America, but also bring it into the 21st century, she has accomplished this with a wonderful work. Hopefully she will be rewarded for this and continue in this path and encourage others to make some meaningful, yet great music.

This CD is AWESOME. First, Kathy Mattea's voice and her delivery of these songs were absolutely fantastic. The cover design with a miner's lamp was so original and simplistic that this is what grabbed me first. I can truly say I have never enjoyed anything as much as this.

I've been a Kathy Mattea fan for a long time, and knew this new album would be good, but was unprepared for just how good, how emotionally powerful it is. I defy anyone to listen to Red-Winged Black Bird and not feel tears welling in their eyes. Coming of the Road is so wistfully poignant, it'll break your heart. The final cut, Black Lung, is Kathy singing unaccompanied -- a stark dark anguished passion infusing the bitterly sorrowful lyrics.

Buy it. Listen to it -- really listen. You'll be taken to shadowed vales in the coal-cursed mountains that will move you more than you ever expected.

Terrific compilation! Excellent musicianship meets a heartwrenching subject. The beauty of the songs in this collection contrast with the tales they tell of hardship and loss in the coal mines and mining towns of Appalachia to create an emotional listening experience. As a previous reviewer said, it's almost impossible to listen to just one song on this CD without wanting to hear the whole thing. Listen to this, watch the movies October Sky (Special Edition) and Matewan for an idea of what this life was like.