Search - Kathy Mattea :: Roses

A STUNNING DEPARTURE

Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 08/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Roses", Kathy Mattea's latest offering, is a radical departure from her country recordings. Her last effort, "The Innocent Years", was a brilliant collection, but her label (Mercury) obviously didn't promote it enough, and therefore airplay was scarce, and many potential hits were lost. Now, on Narada Records (known for its new age artists), has given Kathy a tremendous opportunity to use that wonderful voice to embrace songs with an obvious "Christian" feel. Using sparse instrumentation throughout, "Roses" has a definite Celtic feel, and it looks as though Kathy's not too concerned about having a "country" hit. All of the songs are remarkable, with the opening "That's All the Lumber You Sent", a humorous look at a man who gets to heaven and finds out he hasn't sent enough "lumber" to earn a place in heaven. "Junkyard" is my favorite; a scathing, heartfelt plea to stop taking junk in our everyday lives. It's powerful. "Who We Are" is a piercing look at the relationship between a mother and daughter, penned by the brilliant Beth Nielsen Chapman.
All in all, "Roses" proves once again that Kathy Mattea is one of our prime female forces. Enjoy----I did."

And What Roses They Are

Dave Parsons | 09/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kathy Mattea's CD reminds me how many times my heart was broken and how many times it was healed... sometimes through effort - sometimes through grace -- usually grace. Kathy's courage to depart from commercialism is dangerous and tasty. She flips the bird to the status quo (nicely), and gives her fans something challenging to embrace at a time when content is the last thing equated with success. I really don't want to talk about the songs on this CD. It would be like giving away the end to "Rosemary's Baby" or "To Kill A Mockingbird." Don't try to figure it out - let it reveal itself to you. This is not microwave popcorn. It's a Sunday dinner: roast with potatoes, carrots and onions surrounding and flavoring everything within reach. There may even be leftovers that taste better tomorrow.In an era of styrofoam and mind-numbing conformity, there is Kathy Mattea. Here is something you won't have to throw away when you get tired of it. Thank God for Kathy Mattea. What's she gonna do with all that lumber? Her pile is full up!Tom H."

Kathy's Best CD....Hands Down

Dave Parsons | Wheeling, WV United States | 07/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This first Narada Records CD, "Roses", will probably be overlooked and underplayed by radio in general. And, that is a shame, as it is probably the best album Kathy Mattea has ever made.Mattea has always tried to give the best of her philosophy and life experiences in her music, and then allowed the listener to adapt the songs to their own lives, in their own way. From the opening strains of "That's All The Lumber You Sent", with the Celtic tinged fiddle, along with the storyline of a man's encounter with Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates, sets you on a wonderment journey. "They Are The Roses", has you double checking your behavior, and then shaking your head with the wonderment of children, and the fact that "there is nothing more beautiful and wild, than the dreams that grow in the heart of every child."The songs are upbeat, only 4 of the 12 are slow ballads, lest I give you the idea that these are "sad, country tear your heart out" power ballads, nor are they the sappy feel good songs that Babs Mandrell used to record. This is more like a Tony Robbins seminar, in that if you aren't careful, Mattea lovingly, melodically, calls a gut check on you when you aren't looking, making you reexamine yourself in areas you may not want to deal with. Yet, she does so in that big sister mode, gradually moving you to think and examine through her own example in the songs, and letting you make up your own mind without prejudice."Till I Turn To You" is a flat out prayer to the almighty. The 'excuse me very much', in your face, "Junkyard", talks about the trash heap we get handed daily, and protecting the Holy Ground of our souls. "Who We Are" examines just that, and why is it we stray from that truth. The two tunes Mattea co-penned with Marcus Hummon, "Come Away With Me", and "The Slender Thread That Bind Us Here", show the talent, and depth of Kathy Mattea, that was always there, and is now set free to express itself through song-writing.In the tradition of putting artists into categories or genres of music, it is so nice to still see Kathy Mattea coloring outside of the lines."