ALBUM REVIEW: Kate Prascher Explores Lives in Flux on Her Standout Debut, ‘Shake The Dust’

EDITOR’S NOTE: Kate Prascher’s Shake The Dust came out Aug. 30. We’re reviewing it now as part of a year-end round up of some of the best albums we missed along the way this year. 

“How sad and how sweet” is the sound of Kate Prascher’s voice, to borrow one of the lyrics on Shake The Dust. But there’s nothing pure or proper about the troubled souls who populate her memorable debut album, which chronicles lives in upheaval. Raised in Memphis and now based in New York’s Hudson Valley, this remarkable newcomer has already mastered the art of juggling opposites, telling stories of messy situations with captivating grace.

Evoking the emotional immediacy of early country music without resorting to fusty mimicry, Shake The Dust suggests catchy pop songs infused with a bracing shot of bluegrass, thanks in part to some fine players, including Bobby Hawk on fiddle, and banjo pickers Bennett Sullivan and Jared Engel. Familiar and surprising at once, Prascher is a mesmerizing singer whose traditional-sounding tunes upend any feeling of comfort with lyrics that cut deep, giving her keenly observed tales an uneasy edge.

“Roving Rounder,” the sprightly leadoff track, spotlights a free spirit who declares, “If you look for me, I’ll never more be found,” continuing, “Don’t beg me, I won’t stay.” While the unfulfilled characters in other songs don’t exhibit the same bravado, they’re wrestling with challenging realities of their own. The weary “How It Ends” offers a cool post-mortem on a romance, admitting, “I acted mighty hard.” In the toe-tapping “Mary Ellen,” a woman feeling “bruised” and “lonesome” finally summons the courage to leave her partner, and “Sweet Peg” gently laments the demise of a ”young and uncontrolled” victim brought down by bad company.

Prascher sheds the weight of the world late in Shake The Dust, taking a playful turn. Driven by sultry Hammond organ, the slow-burning “Handsome Man Blues” practically taunts a hopeful lover, sneering, “One man’s as good as any when the lights are out / This tail that you are chasing’s about to get out of town / The air is hot and heavy, how’d I get so sweaty?” On a less-sleazy note, the jaunty “Back to Asheville” closes the album by exclaiming, “Imma holler, sway and shout / I’ll shake off the dust and roll on,” embracing optimism.

Whether plumbing crushing angst or raising a ruckus, Kate Prascher has already found her voice. Here’s looking forward to her next move.