A Distinctive Voice, An Original Singer Songwriter & Exhuberant Interpreter
John Apice
Posted On June 18, 2018
From Connecticut, I came late to Kerri Powers and discovered this young singer-songwriter– purely by accident. The reason I decided to review her unsolicited ten-song collection called Starseeds — is that as I listened I kept checking off one song after another for repeat listenings. I seldom enjoy virtually everything. The vocals, songwriting, supporting musicians and the production. All done with maturity and culminating in the equivalent of my having eaten an entire cheesecake with strawberries all alone. The sin? No one knows I ate the entire cheesecake, yet I have to tell someone – just like I have to tell someone about Kerri Powers and Starseeds.
The album includes eight self-penned tunes, and two excellent covers – one “Polly,” by Gene Clark (The Byrds) and Stevie Winwood’s Blind Faith classic “Can’t Find My Way Home.”
So, for those of you reading this, it’s fairly new — released only May 4th, 2018 – and I doubt radio is playing the hell out of it. Though they should.
Kerri has a distinctive, original, and exuberant vocal. The last time I was this impressed was with singer-songwriter Kit Hain (her songs have been covered by Roger Daltry and Fleetwood Mac) and that was years ago. Her voice, as well, if you can find any of her solo albums — gripping and memorable the way Grace Slick’s was, the way Stevie Nicks is, the way Kerri Powers should be etc..
What I hear with Kerri Powers as she jumps from one song to the next and never disappoints is her impeccable vocal style. Her opening track is “Peeping Tom,” with beautiful acoustic guitar seeped in a traditional sound and Kerri sounds like the late folk singer Karen Dalton with singing lessons (though Bob Dylan thought Karen was incredible as she was).
Kerri’s song is wound tight with acoustic notes, and what sounds like a pedal steel, and it has a nice drum shuffle. Is it old? Is it contemporary? It’s all those things and the song is recorded with such swampy clarity that it has a nice haunting jaunty propulsion. Kerri’s voice is priceless on this chestnut. This is not a diva. This is an artist.
“Somewhere on the Vine,” continues with the excellent guitar playing and Kerri just embodies the tune with so much passion, tradition, and authenticity that I have listened to “Vine,” more than five times already. Kerri could be heir-apparent to the stage light reserved for people like Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Nanci Griffith. Well, someone has to step up when these ladies retire from recording and performing.
I don’t know where this young lady came from but it’s got to be a secret place. This is not the kind of singing and performing that can be easily taught. It has to be in your spirit, in your blood and the fact that she is from the Northeast is going to confound the artists down South, in the Delta, in Memphis, Clarksdale, Austin, and Nashville.
One of the best, rousing tunes on this collection is “Bicycle Man,” a dark-gothic alt-country song driven by a whiplash slide guitar with its winding notes snaking around Kerri’s seductive humid vocals. I find this stuff incredible, uplifting and at times infectious. The bass booms under the Spanish moss and the drummer is doing what ZZ Top would admire. Kerri invaded the world of Tony Joe White and she’s still standing.
The late Gene Clark’s classic “Polly,” is next – and the musicians do no showboating – they don’t have to. They just glide along on the melody with strength and beauty. Again, Kerri draws on the Karen Dalton style mixed with a little of the inflection of singer-songwriter Toni Childs. This is rich stuff, it has substance, soul and its aged in a cask of love and spirit.
Song samples: https://kerripowers.bandcamp.com/album/starseeds
“Mine the River,” drives more bluesy with an alt-country flavor. Kerri displays a soulfulness that is potent and this song provides a listener with a sample of the power and range Ms. Powers is capable of. Lots of grocery store sawdust in these vocals, lots of whiskey and honey, coffee and brandy, gunpowder and brown sugar. This is delightfully husky with its frayed edges adding to its charm.
With “Free Bird Flying,” Kerri continues adding quality to her collection and thus far there is no filler on her CD. With this type of singing here, she reminds me a little of the late, great pianist/singer-songwriter Judee Sill (“Jesus Was a Crossmaker,” “The Kiss”). While Sill was more spiritual and intense throughout her career than Kerri (so far) – this song by Ms. Powers firmly places her in that genre with respect. Kerri possesses also that stylistic lyrical seam that was evident even in the songs of the late Dory Previn (“Lemon Haired Ladies,” “Stone for Bessie Smith”). This slow-burning song has a silent strength that deserves to be admired. A wonderful composition.
Returning to her Ry Cooder by way of Bonnie Raitt style Kerri performs the upbeat “Moon n’ Stars,” and its filled with down-home hominy and grits. I like the way she injects a talking blues with a black twist in her performance. This is 1920’s blues updated to modern day and it’s all in the hands of quite the professional. I could listen to this woman play and sing all day. Just give me a Maduro cigar, whiskey and a chaise lounge with a bloodhound dog.
“Rocking Boat,” is probably the most accessible, commercially viable song on the album. It rolls along at a clip that most people can follow and Kerri’s little vocal gymnastics and her impeccable lyrics are enough to hold the attention of the oldest resident at the Survival Hotel. The instrumentation shimmers, the guitars are sad and mournful but — it’s Kerri Powers’ vocals that dig deep into Emmylou Harris’ territory. These women are soul mates vocally. What a presence Kerri has when she allows her voice to penetrate the air.
Back to a darker noir country, black and white highways and “Grace and Harmony,” has that hoodoo of Buddy Miller, Steve Earle, Alejandro Escovedo and even the late British legend John Martyn. This is late night music, on porches deep in the Delta, skulls hanging beside stuffed ravens, Spanish moss paths, and owls in the barn. There’s a tinge of Bobbie Gentry (“Mississippi Delta”) in this type of song and Kerri has captured it dramatically. That’s it – Kerri knows how to write a song without being bombastic or showboating. The voice takes care of the rest. That’s an art in itself.
Some covers sound almost as if they were written for a particular singer. Stevie Winwood’s “Can’t Find My Own Home,” was written when he was a member of the supergroup, Blind Faith, back in 1968-9. That band included Cream’s Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, Rich Gretch (from Family) and Stevie Winwood (from Traffic). I always thought the song was one of Winwood’s best but it was never one of my favorites – until, I heard Kerri Powers sing it (and she was probably not born when the song was initially released). Her voice suits the melody and words so perfectly. Her vocal inflections, phrasing, and tone are just about as perfect as can be for this type of lyric and melody. This is the very reason that a good singer chooses a cover of another artists’ composition. It can be that magic moment to turn a career around. I enjoyed all of Kerri’s songs on this collection, some more than others, but it’s this cover that is the most magical. On this track, she approaches that same beauty that the late Eva Cassidy did with her covers of classics such as “Over the Rainbow,” and Sting’s “Fields of Gold.”
What am I saying? Being a great singer-songwriter is a gift. Being a great interpreter of other people’s songs is a miracle.
Elvis Presley did it, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles and Tom Jones, among some others. Not being able to write your own songs doesn’t diminish an artists’ ability to be creative. Not everyone can write their own songs – or at least, ten or twelve of them. Kerri Powers has proven she can accomplish both and maintain her originality and quality consistency on her albums. This is her gift. She does have that innate ability to know what’s right for her, what suits her.
She has diversity, and she has a sensitivity in her traditional roots, her blues, and her ballads. She doesn’t seem to lose any of her abilities and so far, on this collection she hasn’t made any miscalculations — that I could hear. I look forward to more.
The album was Produced by Eric Michael Lichter at Dirt Floor Studios in East Haddam, CT. and mastered by Steve Wytas. I streamed her CD so I had no access to her actual album and cannot comment on the packaging.
Website: https://www.kerripowers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerripowersmusic
Bandcamp: https://kerripowers.bandcamp.com/album/starseeds
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this review/commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of No Depression. All photography is owned by the respective photographers and is their copyrighted image; credited where photographer’s name was known & being used here solely as a reference and will be removed on request. YouTube images are standard YouTube license.
John Apice / No Depression / June 2018
John Apice / No Depression / June 2018
