Rambler is the debut album by singer/songwriter Katie Sakanai, who records under the band name Denver City. Sakanai has been a kids’ music teacher in Colorado for nearly two decades, and this is her first solo creative endeavor. Sakanai sings and plays piano, joined on drums by mastering engineer Ben Pisano and some guitar and piano by arranger Jon Stubbs.
Sakanai states that these songs reflect her diverse musical influences, “probably born of listening to my mother's Carole King and James Taylor records as a child, plus my modern love of indie folk.“ Recording, mixing and mastering took place at The Band Cave in Denver, with production by Collin Ingram. Some albums that get assigned to me on Divide and Conquer are so good, I quickly use up all my free Bandcamp plays on Safari, Firefox and even my iPhone. This is one of those albums. It may be partly due to the fact that I’ve been a devoted fan of Dar Williams for decades, and Sakanai not only shares a similarity in voice, but in song structure as well. “Rambler” starts the album with Sakanai singing (gorgeously), with piano and acoustic guitar handled quite beautifully by Jon Stubbs. This song has a very distant echo of Irish traditional, and some of the harmonic majesty of the McGarrigle sisters. Sakanai says this song was composed one night after the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival and “reflects transitioning from one landscape to another, homesickness and working through difficult times.” “Not Exactly” pairs Sakanai on piano and vocals with Ben Pisano’s drums and percussion. The drums are so clean that I can’t be totally sure they’re real, but that doesn’t seem to matter. This song is much more active and has a catchy, irresistible folk-pop chorus. There are other uncredited instruments like electric guitar and synth that ornament the track nicely. The ending is abrupt, in a perfect way. “Heather Garden” musically feels like a classical version of Carly Simon. Sakanai employs a cleverly placed blue note in her vocals: “Goodbye to a summer city, no time for the sun to pain the DAY, just a beautiful shade of gray.” The song “Bluebird” was inspired by the Bluebird Theater in Denver. This is one of those old early 1900’s movie houses that’s been converted to a music venue (we have a few of these in California, too) and Sakanai wrote this tune “after seeing live music that really inspired me.” Of all the songs here, this is the one that most reminds me of Dar Williams in her Mortal City phase, along with a pinch of “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” from Jesus Christ Superstar. “Drought Year” switches gear a bit for a sound that recalls ‘80s era Nanci Griffith. It’s another love-lost song using the imagery of a beautifully inviting ocean suddenly left parched and dry. “Down and Out” is the first song where I detected the direct influence of Carole King, as Sakanai’s playing has a soft jazz swing, with the overdubs including an organ-sounding patch. Like most of these songs, Sakanai gives herself quite the vocal workout, moving from a near-whisper to a more aggressive stance, including perfect double-tracked harmonies. “Just one of those Days” dips a toe into gospel, with Sakanai taking an intimate and moving solo turn with just piano and vocal. Ending the album is a song about motherhood called “You bring Joy” that continues a tradition many singer/songwriters employ: bringing the kids into the studio for a sing-along. The song itself feels kid-friendly, and of course Sakanai’s children sound adorable, if not as polished as Mom. It’s hard to believe that an artist this talented is only just releasing their debut album. Absolutely worth checking out!
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