Search - Kati Mac :: Time

Kati Mac's Crowning Achievement

George A. Gesner | New York, NY United States | 04/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes one can blink or turn your head the wrong way for one split second and miss out on a special moment or opportunity. Fortunately, we sometimes get second chances and in the case of Kati Mac's CD "Time," it would be a golden opportunity to discover or rediscover Kati's best CD to date. "Time" is Kati's "Pet Sounds" if you will, a crowning achievement that remarkably has no filler material. All the well-crafted songs prove that pop music can have substance. The journey starts with the provocative "Einstein's Dream" which very much reminded me of another wonderful undersung artist, Aimee Mann. Kati then takes you on a magical history tour with the psychedelic fab-fourish "Third Planet from the Sun." One of my favorite tracks is the beautiful, haunting ballad "Wounded Heart" which features a nice accordion track by Charlie Giordano which flows softly like the river Seine. Kati collaborates with hit songwriter Glenn Burtnik for the very George Harrison sounding track "If That's the Way U Feel." Kati's two co-writes with salty veteran Martin Briley are standout cuts. "We're Not in Kansas Anymore" rocks out with raw irreverance and the true gem "Cranberry Sauce" should be a classic. This homage to John Lennon mixed in with the inspiration of Sgt. Pepper is definitely worth its salt. At this point in the CD you figure that even if the rest of the songs are weak, you still have one fine CD. But Kati dispenses with that whole "let's save some for later" approach. Another enchanting, haunting ballad follows called "You Took My Hand," co-written by yet another successful songwriter, Peter Bliss. Kati comes back and belts out "I Will Not Lie," which could possibly be the song that should have hit the radio waves. The only cover song on the CD finds Ms. Mac serving up a loving spoonful of John Sebastian's "Darlin Be Home Soon." "Being Without You" follows in a nice departure that kind of emits a Bob Dylan vibe in the verses countered by the hooky, pop chorus. The wonderful journey ends with the title track where Kati waxes (raps) poetically on an opus that features such well-known co-writers as Lennon & McCartney, Kahil "The Prophet" Gibran, William "The Bard" Shakespeare, and that book you can't put down, the Webster's Dictionary. Kati Mac made one nice little masterpiece with "Time" and it's up to all bona fide music lovers to not let something this good slip through the cracks."