Trying to Get It Right

Kate MacLeod

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 18, 1995)
• Original Release Date: July 25, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Waterbug Records
• ASIN: B0000059V2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #277,336 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

With a spare, often chilling lyric style and a voice that shimmers like an arrow in sunlight, Kate MacLeod delivers original songs in the folk tradition. She plays guitar, harmonica and fiddle. "Alaska" sketches the moody inner monologue of a drifter. "Angels on my Mind" is written from the point of view of a miner who was ill, home from work, the day that the fire in the Wilberg Mine broke out near Orangeville, Utah, Dec. 19, 1984:

"Maybe someday, maybe someday, they will find a replacement for the hard hearted black coal Then leave the mines lazy, let them lie lazy Let them lie lazy, those dark shafted fire holes Angels on my mind..."

Kate was born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and grew up near Washington, D.C. She performed during her teenage years as a violinist in orchestras and chamber music groups. Kate also fostered her strong interest in traditional music by playing fiddle and exploring the diverse music scene around Washington D.C. In 1979, she moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to study violin making. She devoted several years to raising her three children. During these years, she performed occasionally in a variety of celtic, bluegrass, and old-time stringband ensembles around the Salt Lake City area.

In 1993 Kate began a friendship with the late Charles Sawtelle, guitarist of the bluegrass band, Hot Rize, who produced Kate's first two bluegrass-flavored recordings, "Trying to Get It Right" (1995) and "Constant Emotion" (1997).

Kate's lyrics have invited comparisons to John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie, and her singing has been compared to that of Nanci Griffith and Emmylou Harris. Songwriters Kate cites as inspiration for her are Jean Ritchie, Norman Blake, Peter Rowan, Mary McCaslin, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and many others; but Kate is very much an original.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine introduction, May 17, 2003

By A Customer

Kate MacLeod made a very impressive debut with this CD. MacLeod is blessed with a wonderfully expressive clear, resonant alto with echoes of early Nanci Griffith. And it is a voice she uses it to full effect with inventive phrasing and sparing use of a letter-perfect vibrato. A folk-oriented sound pervades this album with tastefully acoustic production.

She is a great songwriter, who I think has a remarkable range from love songs to bitter ballads to stories wrapped lightly in music.

The elegant "Lark in the Morning" is as song of unrequited love that grabs you with its enchanting melody, poetic images and sublime production. It instantly had me pressing the "repeat" key after the first listen. The tenor guitar and banjo really creates a masterpiece. "Pawn Shop Man" is a measured celebration of a simple life; "Alabama Midwife" is a stark portrait of a tough life led by an equally tough old lady. Her novellic "PrairyErth" explores the spooky majesty of the Great Plains.

MacLeod tells some interesting tales, such as "Angels On My Mind," the true story of a miner who was home sick the day his mine caught fire. MacLeod also sings of welfare and midwives, and in the delightful "Play the Piano with Style" tells a slice-of-life tale about her uncle. She accompanies herself on old-timey fiddle on "Gospel Songs," evoking a sense of community in gospel singing. She concludes with "None but One," a perfect bookend to the opening "Lark," in a nifty, nimble guitar and bouzouki(?) arrangement. By all means, give MacLeod a listen.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love her music, April 29, 2003

By	"awest1964" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Kate MacLeod is one of a kind! Man I love her music. I just wish she had more CDs out. I got into her music because of a great review in The Voice that turned out to be right on. "Alaska" is just a great tune. My favorite CDs of hers is probably "Constant Emotion" but "Trying To Get It Right" is probably #2 in my book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great start, June 19, 2003

By A Customer

Kate MacLeod made an impressive start with her first album, 'Trying to Get It Right'. I prefer 'Constant Emotion' but this cd has all the right elements. As her music matures I just found those elements come together a little better. Still this is still a CD you should have if you like folk-rock-pop. MacLeod does it with the best of them.