Kathi McDonald 1999 Above And Beyond

Genre: Blues
Rate: 160 kbps CBR / 44100
Time: 00:58:45
Size: 67,19 MB




Review by Michael G. Nastos

McDonald is well-known and revered as the great background singer for Ike & Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, The Rolling Stones, and countless others. Though essentially a rock and R&B belter, she's been singing blues with Long John Baldry and lately, the group Seattle Women. Here, she asserts herself full force, proving she's lost absolutely nothing from the '70s, and in fact that she has gained a richness and purity while still equipped with a truly great, gusty, flexible range and a powerful, crystal-clear set of pipes that has frankly always made Janis Joplin sound like a piker.

Within laid-back, simple beats per measure, McDonald proves time after time that she can conjure intensity by not relying on upbeat tempos. She's at her very best on the following songs: the slow rock/R&B number "A Soulful Prayer," with help from Lee Oskar on harmonica and Jim Colie on tenor sax; a rejected lover's rock ballad "Girl, You Don't Move Me" with a soul-stirring performance from Oskar and a bluesy piano from Ed Vance; and "I Put a Spell on You." This last piece includes Brian Auger's burning organ on a typical arrangement and it's made great by the aforementioned veterans and guitarist Doug Scott. The title cut is a slow gospel blues with Vance and backup singers, while acoustic, finger-style, 12-bar picking blues from guitarist Nick Vigarino informs McDonald's growling voice for "Don't Give up on Me," and the easygoing "Georgia Sunday Morning" has Auger in a jazzier framework. Auger goes into vaudevillian tones on piano and overdubbed organ for the blues/rock/funk of the cut that offers the most fun, "Stray Cat," with Vigarino's slide. The hardest blues edge is sharpened on the laid-back, 12-bar "Dallas." There are also more blues/rock ballad excursions during "Ain't It Wonderful?" and "Two Drifters." The former of these two is stretched instrumentally courtesy of Vance, second keyboardist Norm Bellas (who accompanies on the last five tracks), Colie, Oskar, and guitarist Rick Dangel; the latter repeats the phrase "like a refrain in a love song always remains/sustains." McDonald wrote the title cut, "Girl," and the country-type waltz "Chicken Today, Feathers Tomorrow." There's also a poorly produced, live club-date version of "Season of the Witch" which most listeners will end up wishing would have been done in a studio.

Those who are curious should seek out McDonald's 1974 recording "Insane Asylum." For others, this will do just fine, because Kathi McDonald is the undisputed, uncrowned queen of blue-eyed soul. The release of this very fine CD should finally set the wheels in motion for her overdue coronation.




Tracklist:

01 - Above & Beyond 04:07

02 - Don't Give Up On Me 02:41

03 - Georgia Sunday Morning 03:56

04 - A Soulful Prayer 05:25

05 - Girl, You Don't Move Me 04:48

06 - I Put A Spell On You 05:47

07 - Stray Cat 04:54

08 - Dallas 03:17

09 - Two Drifters 04:56

10 - Chicken Today, Feathers Tomorrow 03:36

11 - Ain't It Wonderful 06:56

12 - Season Of The Witch 08:22





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Kathi McDonald 1974 Insane Asylum

Kathryn Marie McDonald (born 25 September 1948), popularly known as Kathi McDonald, is a blues and rock singer. She currently performs with Kathi McDonald & Friends. She has appeared on an extensive list of rock and blues albums and toured extensively with Long John Baldry prior to his death. Kathi was born in Anacortes, Washington and resides in the Seattle Washington state area but still has strong San Francisco music connections.

At the age of 19 she set off for San Francisco and its burgeoning musical climate, where she met the Turners and, through her association with them, took the first step on a career path that would span more than three decades. McDonald got her big break and her first big professional gig when she was attending an Ike (& Tina) Turner concert and was singing in the audience at Winterland. Her powerful voice drew Ike Turner's notice and he invited the aspiring singer to his and Tina Turner's next rehearsal. McDonald had snagged a spot in the Ikettes. It was a heady and magical beginning for someone who never had any formal lessons.

Not long after the evening at Winterland, McDonald's talent caught the attention of Sam Andrew of Big Brother and the Holding Company. Invited to audition with the band, McDonald hitched and worked her way down to San Francisco. Before McDonald could arrive, the band had gotten a singer through a hometown friend of Chet Helms. Her name was Janis Joplin. Eventually the band resurrected itself after Joplin's departure, with the addition of Nick Gravenitis and Kathi McDonald, and subsequently recorded three albums: Can't Go Home Again, How Hard It Is, and Be a Brother.

McDonald went on to sing with Mad Dogs & Englishmen for Joe Cocker, and later sang with Leon Russell's Shelter People. Her session work included recordings for such artists as the Rolling Stones, Nils Lofgren, Rita Coolidge, Delaney & Bonnie, and Dave Mason. Her work for other musical artists totals up to appearances on almost 150 albums, more than six dozen of which achieved gold status.[1] In addition, McDonald also launched a solo career in 1974 with the release of the album Insane Asylum. The recording was arranged by Pete Sears, whose formal band associations include Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship and was produced by David Briggs. Insane Asylum featured performances by Tower of Power, the Pointer Sisters, Aynsley Dunbar, John Cippolina, Neil Schon, and Ronnie Montrose. (Wikipedia)



Tracklist:

01 - Bogart To Bowie

02 - To Love Somebody

03 - (Love Is Like A) Heatwave

04 - Threw My Love Away

05 - Freak Lover

06 - Down To The Wire

07 - Heartbreak Hotel

08 - If You Need Me

09 - Something Else

10 - All I Want To Be

11 - Insane Asylum




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