Christine Kane - Rain And Mud And Wild And Green (2002)

In her new release, Christine Kane opens herself up to show the many different sides of her artistry, her personality and her spirit. An organic and often raw mix of tight acoustic textures and rhythms sets down a dynamic backdrop for Christine’s earthy and elegant voice, which manages to hold within its range both vulnerability and strength at the same time – much like the whole CD itself.

Christine’s reverence is undeniable in several cuts on the CD. “The Way Clouds Do” describes a gritty bus ride through highway traffic while looking out on the world through the eyes of a mystic seeking change. “Times Three” reads like a biblical text and moves dramatically with the pulsing guitar work of Larry Campbell. And the powerful “The One Thing I Know” poetically and effortlessly travels back and forth between the profound and the personal.

Christine’s irreverence comes out in the more humorous notes in the album. The women in her songs live by the railroad tracks, drive beat up Volkswagens and don’t go to church. The laugh-out-loud cut on the CD, “No Such Thing as Girls Like That,” starts with a comical look at an MTV video and ends with a description of an aging Barbie with sagging breasts and osteoporosis. Christine’s masterful treatment of such a well-worn subject secures her place among the finest humorist songwriters of her generation.

“Rain & Mud & Wild & Green” was recorded in New York City and produced by Christine and Ben Wisch, making this Christine’s first CD recorded away from her home of Asheville, NC. One of the best producer/engineers of the acoustic genre, Ben Wisch has a diverse list of credits ranging from Marc Cohn to Kathy Mattea.