Customer Reviews

Rain & Mud & Wild & Green

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If there is any justice in the world (and there isn't much to go around in the music business) this album will vault Asheville's Christine Kane into the national spotlight, make her rich & famous, and hopefully, not change her one bit. "R&M&W&G" seems to me to be the culmination of CK's career - an album where all elements come together in absolutely perfect synchronization to create a masterpiece.

The Songs: intriguing & warm & inviting & humorous & ultimately like a book you just can't put down and have to reread over & over again;
The Vocals: close & intimate & unique & personal - as if CK was there in your living room, singing only to you;
The Arrangements: perfect & unobtrusive & mostly acoustic & always in service of the song;
The Production/Recording: well recorded & natural & up close, with a minimum of "production" letting the songs shine through.

Christine has always written amazing songs that bear repeated listenings, but here she has outdone herself. Starting with the moving "The Way Clouds Do" through the compelling "Everything Green" (reminding us of simpler, less complicated and joyous times - particularly relevant following September 11th), she takes you on a journey of emotions and insights that, like the best books, movies, music.... and friends, make you think, smile, cry, or shake your head in wonder. Then "No Such Thing as Girls Like That" arrives, and sends you to the floor in a fit of laughter that someone has so perfectly captured the "fantasies" piled on us in our over-marketed society.

Christine Kane has also found her own voice with this album, singing with a confidence and an individuality that dispenses with some of the contemporary comparisons she has been saddled with in the past.

Buy this album, and take home a friend. My guess is you'll want her to stay awhile.

Christine Kane is an amazing talent. She has a hearbreakingly beautiful voice, writes a wide range of wonderful songs, and is an engaging, energetic performer. Her latest CD is a warm collection of ballads, upbeat rockers and one hysterically funny song (which is a great souvenir from her humorous live performances). My personal favorite on the CD is "Everything Green," from which the title of the CD was derived, an uptempo song about reconnecting with nature. Richard Shindell fans will enjoy his backing vocals on "She Don't Like Roses." Finally, fans of Christine's excellect guitar work will find plenty to enjoy in this collection of songs.

Buy this CD, collect them all, then buy them for your friends. You'll be glad you did.

Christine Kane has put together a bright collection of songs. They won't change your life but they will make you feel better about it. Lyrically she is top notch and the songs have a timeless feel. The sound ranks as equal to anything the Indigo Girls have done with a laid back James Taylor groove. This CD has sounded good in several different environments. Don't be surprised if you see some of her music done by big names and winning awards in the future. Her voice has a little Carole King in it. Buy it! You will like it!

I know Christine Kane from this new album and her song "Off the Ground" which is on Putumayo's great _Women's Work_ CD. The latter is an all-time favorite song, so when my wife got me R&M&W&G for an anniversary present I was hoping for a lot. It has no tracks that are new total favorites, but somehow it's alway in one CD player or another around here. We've decided to add a star to my original four star rating.

It's good at work in the studio, very good at my desk, I like it in the car, and it's been on the big stereo a time or two, too. I guess I must really like the way it all fits together.

"She Don't Like Roses" is the reason for adding a star with time. It took me awhile to see how perfectly the gentle tune and musical arrangement match the characters and the sweet little story of two people finding each other.

"Times Three" is fluid and emotional without being overbearing. If you like it, you should read the strange novel by Dorothy Bryant called _The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You_. They are two very different takes on the idea that our dreams are an important part of our personal realities.

Ms. Kane is coming to Northern California soon, and I am so looking forward to seeing at least one of her shows! I'll bring a green pen for an autograph and some green to get her other CDs.

Dec 9
P.S. She rocked, of course!

Having lived in Asheville and gone to see Christine play at the Grey Eagle whenever possible, I pull out this CD whenever I need to feel GOOD. Her voice and music are amazing, and she has intelligent and mostly uplifting lyrics.

I love Christine Kane and have all her cd's but this one is my favorite. She continues to delight me at every turn. Folk music with a contemporary edge and a pinch of humor!

This is my first Christine Kane album and I will be buying more. I originally heard "Roses" on a Putamayo compilation and loved it. The rest of this album did not dissapoint. It only took me one listen to discern 4 or 5 new favorites, I'm going to be giving this album as a gift to many of my friends.

This lady has real talent. I saw her tonight in concert in a small 200 seat place in Chattanooga. Christine has an easy and gentle raport with the crowd and is almost instantly likable. Then she sings, and, you are completely won over.When she wants to be funny, she is without being corny. When she wants to be serious or touching, she is able to draw the listener into her private world of emotions.Christine is a good singer and a good guitar player and an excellent song writer.This is a very good cd, but if you ever have the chance, go see her live. You will think she is singing to you.

Rain & Mud & Wild & Green is not only my favorite Christine Kane CD, it's on my top 10 list of all time. From the opening track "The Way Clouds Do", I'm drawn into a world of characters that I feel connected to on so many levels.The song "All the Relatives" is a masterful look at those relatives we all have who judge us rather than except us for who we are. "The One Thing I Know" puts forth a simple idea that love IS the answer and does so in a poignant and thought provoking manner. "Everything Green" makes me question how I'm living my life when it comes to ecology and the way we treat our mother earth. All the songs affect me in some profound way. Some just bring up empathy for the characters and others speak to me in a deeply profound manner. The lyric writing is witty, literate and full of emotion. The melodies compliment the lyrics quite well. What also draws me to this CD is Christine's singing and the way the production captures the vulnerability of the songs.I love the sparse arrangements and the way they always compliments her wonderful voice. After listening a few times, I couldn't stop if I wanted to. I got this CD about 9 months ago and it's still in "Heavy Rotation" in my car. It's the kind of CD that keeps getting better with each listen, revealing some greater depth every time you hear it.Get it now! You won't be sorry.

Rain and Mud and Wild and Green is easily replacing my favorites of the past. I listen to it at least once a day. The songs have a way of sticking in my head and staying there all day. Rarely does this happen when I want to go home and play the album more still! The songs are full and bright with humor, irony, realism, and imagination. Her voice isn't shaded by too many background instruments and complicated imagery; often sweet and angelic, but also raw and real, her songs are poetic and pure. I'd highly recommend this album. In her songs...like "One Once More" a beautiful, somewhat eerie, lullaby type of tune...she uses some of the best vocabulary references I've EVER heard in a song. Christine has a beautiful way of using words to nuture and support a song. Such a gift is rare and often misused. Christine harnesses this talent and makes songs that are assumingly personal and real. This album IS Christine Kane.
I will buy it for everyone I know!