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Kathleen Coffee is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Athens, West Virginia. Her self-titled debut features Appalachian-inspired political folk and melodic pop. Her compositions and playing style are similar to Ani Difranco or Anaïs Mitchell, but the pure emotion that can often be heard in her voice more often reminds me of Allison Crowe. In addition to singing and writing songs, Kathleen plays guitar, piano, banjo, harmonica, violin, and mandolin. As if that weren’t enough to keep her busy, she will soon spend twenty-seven months as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Billy was a bad man in the war
he killed more babies than a mothering whore
his hands were bullets, he had bombs for his feet
…if justice is an act of God what are we fighting for?
Billy was a bad man in the war
he killed more babies than a mothering whore
his hands were bullets, he had bombs for his feet
…if justice is an act of God what are we fighting for?
The stunning anti-war song “Justice?” is the kind of tune that garners Coffee comparisons to Difranco, while the gentler yet still fiery spirit of “I Call It Pride” is what brings Crowe to my mind. “This Land Is God’s Land” is a sort of tribute to Woody Guthrie, and “Ancestors” is simply beautiful.
Whether the songs are soft or angry, it’s the passionate use of Kathleen’s dulcet voice that carries them all.
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author: muruch category: album reviews, kathleen coffee