While being short and sweet, this little 4-song EP is definitely heartwearming and delightful as well. This Christmas EP is Kat Jones' first since her critically acclaimed debut La Rosa, La Calavera in 2004.
Track 1: "I'll Be Home For Christmas". This is a completely redone version of a song she included on a disc of demos a few years ago. This version is Richard Swift-esque, with a cascade of lively keys and horns.
Track 2: "He's The One I Need The Most". The title track is the best song on the disc as it taps into the true meaning of the season, which is a refreshing change in music today. It has a very catchy chorus that is beautifully sung by Kat.
Track 3: "Bring A Torch Jeanette, Isabela". It's a very mellow, stripped down tune with sparse guitar and dreamy vocals.
Track 4: "Without A Sound". This is the not-so-hidden track of the CD, mainly because it is included in the track list and has a title. Hidden or not, this song is worthy of attention. So fragile and delicate, this soft tune almost breaks as the light guitar and gentle vocals sweep you away.
After three years, it's nice to hear some new music from Kat Jones, just in time to make a great stocking stuffer for the holidays!
Review Courtesy of http://indiemp3review.blogspot.com/
Influences:
I read quite a bit as well as listen to music. My favorite authors are Shakespear (why is it that I always get a weird surprised look when I list him as number one?), Madeline L'Engle, Weldon Kees, Annie Dillard, Philip Levine (Fellow Fresno Enthusiast), Douglas Coupland, Nick Hornby, and counteless others I can't recall at this moment, but because I love words so much I figured that this information was as imperative (perhaps more so) than the following................................................My very favorite musical artists are: Radiohead, David Bowie, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, Jeff Buckley, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Sam Philips, Ryan Adams, Damien Jurado, Patti Griffin, Sufjan Stevens, Johnny Cash, Sixpence None The Richer, Over The Rhine, Pedro The Lion, Emmy Lou Harris, Unbelievable Truth, Innocence Mission, Frank Lenz, Violence & Valentines. ........................These places and things also inspire me: Scotland, The Pacific NW Metal Scene (not kidding), Fresno, CA., Films: (this will be sort of a weird list I think) Mansfield Park, Stranger Than Fiction, Meeting People Is Easy, Trainspotting, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken (yes, THAT movie), Never Ending Story - eh... I'm bored now so I must be boring you.
Sounds Like
Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Sam Philips, Neil Young, Bright Eyes, Jeff Buckley, Over The Rhine, Ammie Mann, Damien Jurado, Patti Griffin, Sufjan Stevens, Emmy Lou Harris, Johnny Cash, Sixpence None The Richer, Garbage, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Denison Witmer, Lovedrug, Tim Buckley, Azure Ray, Fiona Apple, Starflyer 59, Frank Lenz, MAP, Richard Swift, Cyndi Lauper, Bill Malonee, My Brightest Diamond, KT Tunstal, Martha Wainwright
Has Toured With:
Emery, The Violet Burning, Matt Hopper, Bradley Hathaway, MAP, Kevin Reese, Aspen Hollow, Vernal Falls, Michelle Allen, Rheanna Downey, Insomniac Folklore, Lapse Recover, Jesse Eubanks
Has Played Shows With The Following Bands:
Richard Swift, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Sea Change, The Thermals, All Girl Summer Fun Band, Starflyer 59, The Valley Arena, The Low Flying Owls, As I Lay Dying, Death Campaign, Half Handed Cloud
You may purchase Kat Jones Merchandise simply by following the instructions bellow :-)
Without A Sound e.p. $7.00
He's The One I Need The Most e.p. $6.00
La Rosa, La Calavera - Out of Print. Only available on i-tunes
..
Building e.p. $5.00
Kat Jones Unicorn T-shirt $15.00
Available in boy's - black t's (Xsm, SM, Med, LG)
Available in girl's cut - navy blue - (Med, LG, XL - Girl's shirts run a bit small)
Kat Jones "The Rhino Is A Record Player" T-shirt $15.00
Available in boy's - kelly green t's (SM, Med, LG)
Available in girl's cut - Kelly Green - (SM, Med, LG, XL - Girl's shirts run a bit small)
Click On The Banner Below To Buy Kat Jones Merchandise
BIO
Once in every while an artist comes around that is seemingly as fresh, bright, and delicious as an apple picked right off the tree. Void of any obvious imperfection, unmarred by worm holes or lack of sunlight, the apple materializes with such beauty and vitality that one cannot suppress the urge to taste.
This apple is Kat Jones taste, you must.
Kat is a singer/songwriter from Fresno, California. A strikingly soulful voice coupled with a talent for writing songs with aesthetic maturity both musically and lyrically, suggest years far beyond her own, and explains why her career thus far has yielded much merited attention.
Id wanted to be a musician since I can remember but never thought it was possible, remarks Kat when asked about her start as a musician. I decided my only hope was to become something like a manager or producer. Time would tell a different story for the burgeoning artist.
In 1996, while interning under Peter Wolf at Wolf Sound Audio Engineering in Fresno, Kat began to explore her musical giftedness and passion. She sat in on every bands recording sessions, took singing and guitar lessons, and within the year, had performed for the first time in front of an audience of 500. Now, 8 years, 2 nationwide tours, one EP, and several demos later, Kat has released her first full length record, La Rosa, La Calavera.
The album, which is Spanish for the rose, the skull, centers on concepts of life and death and showcases Kats intricate blend of indie rock, folk, and americana adding to it an alt. country appeal. Distinct and creative instrumentation exists not only in and of itself as an artistic expression, but to offset and highlight the artists captivating and deeply powerful vocals. The result is nine tracks of haunting infusions that will stir your soul.
I want the album to make people think. I hope they can relate to it and that it ends up being more than just another recordbut becomes a part of their lives.
There is no sin in partaking of this apple. So go ahead give in. Kat Joness album is available now on Velvet Blue Music.
"Kat Jones is a fantastic songstress, equal parts haunting, heartbreaking, and lush. She can be mellow as Mazzy Star, and she can rock like P.J. Harvey. Thankfully, she’s neither completely, but rather the best of both. She’s far too under the radar for our liking, so please give her a listen (she’s got two MP3s for download), and support her music by buying an album or twelve. You can also stream a few songs over at her MySpace page."
"Kat is, in the truest sense of the word, an artist. All of her songs are expertly crafted to be exactly what she wants them to be. From the musical aspect all the way to her incredible songwriting, she really does it all, and does it all very well."
Kat Jones, Thanks so much for the friendship. The music bloggers/reviewers here are 'apes' over your tunes and vocals. We would like to write about you. You can contact us at apesforindie@yahoo.com or follow us on twitter @apesforindie ~ Peace
okay... don't make fun... but i have been marked as spam... so do me a
favor. I sent you a message here on myspace. it is probably in your
spam box... the only way to get off the spam filter is if you go mark
me as not spam. so please help me!!! lol
Things are going well! We're prepping for an Oregon show and setting up a few Fresno dates for the summer. We hope to see you play this summer as well!
I totally agree with everything you said about "halle--" and no I can't even finish the name of it; I don't think I can ever hear it again, especially since now it even evokes an image of Shrek. ICK. :)
