Things As They Are - introduction by Kate
As a jazz/cabaret singer, I released two albums, toured internationally and appeared regularly on national radio.
I always felt that I wanted to write and perform more original material. The reputation I had gained through my tribute to Peggy Lee was fantastic, but also limiting. So a few weeks after playing my biggest ever gig, a sell-out show at the Festival Hall, I moved to Canada - to a strange, remote Northern Exposure-like mountain town. There, I found an amazing community of jazz/blues/folk musicians who had dropped out and drifted as far west as they could. Playing with them, I started writing what I now think of as a debut album, Things As They Are.
Two years and a baby later, after a few offbeat collaborations with dance/pop musicians, I re-formed the band and we went into the studio for a couple of days to see what would happen. In two days, we had 12 songs – fresh, live and incredibly tight – and we all felt we were finally capturing the energy and rapport of our live performances, for which we’ve received so many great reviews. I hope that this is reflected in the songs you hear...