DBT #258 Kerri Powers - Love is Why
A blog patron sent me Kerri's Oct 27th release saying that I would love track 7; and he was so right. Of course that just drew me into to keeping it on the top of the spin list. (Meanwhile creating themed playlist Haunting, Cigarettes, Please, and Shake... Yes I love themed playlists) The Americans Highways released a review of the album, who compared her to five different musicians but this line stood out:
The musical landscape can be dry & arid but if you dig deep enough, you’ll find some water because great artists are usually right under the surface. But if you find a Kerri Powers there – that’s oil. That’s rich. One of the year’s best.
And then the reviewer picks seven off eleven songs as highlights, hey that's a great percentage and why it's getting a lot of spins at home; really no dud in this album.
Instead of mainstream voices to compare her to, I'd tell you that she fits nicely in my mix with Sarah King, Rory Block, and Tori Sparks. Passionate and bluesy songs that have strong vocals that clearly tell the story of life that can be both grief filled and dark. Kerri tells of the songs written during grief off losing her father,
The album’s original songs were written during the pandemic and after Powers lost her father, whom she calls “my best friend.”
“I wrote the songs from a place of loss and grieving and went from there,” she says. “Writing the songs was hard but a necessary part of healing. At the end of the day, all the songs were written from a place of love for humanity and the need to spread the message that love is essential.”
I also liked this more intimate review from a more local source to her home, The Patriot Ledger. Sadly we learn losing her father, pandemic and oh yeah toss in a difficult divorce; all are influences to the songwriting in this album. If you don't get over to read it you'll miss this story:
Powers began her musical career in the late 1980s, debuting in the old Blackthorne Tavern in South Easton, where she waitressed. When the dynamic Irish singer/songwriter Luka Bloom headlined the Blackthorne, Powers opened for him, and he was mightily impressed by her talent and stage presence. Bloom said Powers reminded him of Raymond Chandler’s timeless description: “She’s got a look that could make a bishop kick out a stained-glass window.”
Let's get into some music:
1) Rosie Blue
She starts it slow and steady, and toasts to Rosie Blue and the mystery of love. I could say it a lot in this review but I love the tasteful use of the organ. Fitting she covers Gregg Allman on the album.
All my life I’ve wondered what it’s like to fly
How to get somewhere soaring over mountain tops
You said, “That dream’s too big to realize,
So I stayed aground, kept my head down
Learned to live a lie
Rosie Blue
Rosie Blue
Stop trying to tell me I can’t get high
Hey, Rosie Blue
I let you in
And I don’t know why
To help you anytime
You know I would
But you tangle up my life
Make a mess; I make it right
And that’s no good
No doubt there’s something wrong with me
To keep dragging through your fire
Love is, love is, love is, love is why
Love is, love is, love is, love is why
Love is love
There is no other reason
You slipped the lock and said, “Don’t come to see me no more”
Your eyes were so empty; the space was too hard to ignore
Maybe you’ll change when you know what your heart’s beating for
To the shadows in this room
The mirror casts the truth
On how lonely I’ve become
Before I pour another one
