Search - Katy Moffatt :: Angel Town

It takes about 32 seconds for Katy Moffatt's deeply passionate voice to grab hold of you: About then, she sings the word "here" on the album's title (and opening) track, infusing wild emotion into a rather emotionless word. Without question, her immaculate alto is the focal point of Angel Town. Eight of the 11 songs are covers---a rarity for Moffatt---and the accompaniment has been stripped bare, leaving only Andrew Hardin's tactful guitar and Hank Bones's bass. Moffatt grabs material from a variety of sources---old pros such as Cindy Walker and Cole Porter, and younger country-folk writers such as David Olney, Steve Goodman, Pat McLaughlin, Chris Smither, and Patrick Sky. Her reading of "Miss Otis Regrets," a jazz and blues standard, brilliantly highlights the irony of Porter's lyrics with a delicate lullaby feel. She shows empathy on Don Williams's "Ghost Story" and conveys remarkable honesty and sensitivity on Walker's "You Don't Know Me." Her three originals (co-written with Tom Russell) fit the album's subdued mood perfectly. Moffatt's ability to combine tenderness with intensity, and fragility with self-assuredness shines brightly throughout this peaceful, lovely record. --Marc Greilsamer