Americana is a genre that is often associated with American Western aesthetics. Ramblin’ roads, wailing guitars and croons of days gone by fill the mind when one thinks of the genre. For Kate Fenner, however, the genre is much more. She proves this on her latest release, “Dead Reckoning.” From the start, the vocal power of Kate Fenner cannot be denied and the emotion that is delivered with it simply must be heard. The intro track, “My River” does a good job in showing the listener this power up front.
The soft piano’s sharper keys demand the listener’s attention when they are hit and make the perfect introduction for the powerful vocals of Kate Fenner. The subtle drums offer a splash of personality to “My River,” with jazzy taps and cymbal hits, while the bass and viola create a nice depth for Fenner’s voice to occupy. The power of the instrumentals meets the vocals during the last leg of the track, where Fenner’s voice rises above anything else in the track and leaves you with a lasting impression from the moment she sings “rise and swell, heart crest like a humpback whale.” This moment is merely one of many throughout the album that this track will prepare you for as you listen.
“Quiet Rider” is another track to mention. The ramblin’ percussion gives the perfect foundation to the airy guitars. The pulse of the drums is easy to get lost in and will get your head moving right when your ears catch the beat. The airy guitars dance excellently with the vocal performance, responding with wails that gives the vocals a unique emotional power. The americana-style aesthetic comes full circle when Fenner sings “Oh, ghost rider, walk me to the end of this season” with galloping percussion that leads into more emotional guitar notes. It makes “Quiet Rider” a surprisingly stand-out track and one you won’t want to miss out on.
“Soulmaker (That Fire)” has drums that make a bold, attention-grabbing statement before the guitar starts playing a mellow jam that is easy to start swaying to. The bass grooves underneath the beats, adding smooth and subtle plucks that do a great job in smoothing out the rough edges of the free-wheeling guitar. The track is full of powerful vocal moments from the top, with memorable lines such as “Barely begun the day’s on fire, barely grasped and then it’s gone” backed up with entrancing vocal delivery. “Soulmaker (That Fire)” feels like the track where the personality of the album comes through clearest.
“Dead Reckoning” is an emotional tour de force. The tracks on this album are empowering, even in their most somber moments and the album never gives an air of hopelessness. With themes of loss in tracks such as “Quiet Rider” and “The Torch,” the album carries an emotional weight to it that makes it hard to not be weighed down by its heavy themes. These themes are played out elegantly throughout the album, with each tracks’ personality adding to the whole in clearly heard ways. For the Americana fan looking for a new offering for the sound of the genre, you need look no further than “Dead Reckoning.”
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