Katie Fry is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a beautiful soprano voice and a sound that transcends genres. Born Katie Jane Goudie and raised on a dairy goat farm in Northern California, her influences include the country and folk music of her youth. She writes songs about love, friendship, struggle and hope. Previously she has performed as a soloist and with a five-piece band in the Sacramento and San Francisco areas, under the stage name Katie Jane. My California, Fry’s debut EP, came out in September and it’s a tribute to growing up in rural Northern California. The songs were recorded on a laptop in Katie’s closet - a “hiding place” away from her three children. It was mixed/mastered by her friend Andrew Lozano. The inspiration for the EP’s title song came after a wildfire a year ago that destroyed her childhood home, displacing her parents and destroyed hundreds of houses in her hometown. The lyrics have an uplifting message, which illustrate what made Fry’s growing up years so special. In addition to performing her own original music, Fry is a graduate of the Music for Healing and Transition Program, working as a Certified Music Practitioner with the local non-profit organization, Music Partners in Healthcare provide therapeutic bedside music to patients of all ages. Specifically, she plays a 34-string folk harp, specializing in singing songs from the 1920s-1950s for individuals living with dementia. Some of the genre styles you’ll hear include folk, Americana, jazz and indie pop.
Starting off the five tracks is “More to Lose” – a song with indie pop flair, involving a full band of piano, acoustic, drums, bass and strings. Fry’s style reminds me a bit of the mid-90s singer/songwriters who mixed genres together behind a piano/guitar. On the title track “My California” Fry states that her heart was so heavy with grief that she went to music for therapy. She reflected on what made her growing up years so special and from this, out came the uplifting tribute to rural Northern California. This song mixes up a light contemporary folk/country sound but with indie pop sensibilities. A very nice tribute indeed, sung by an artist with a fantastic voice! On “One Foot at A Time” Katie explores the concept of empathy. A music video accompanies this number which can be seen on Fry’s YouTube site. The video has strong imagery depicting people of all ages and walks of life – from the perspective of their shoes. It’s an interesting take and it reflects the social hardship our society has faced in recent times. The words carry a strong, human element with a timeless message. I loved the mix of instruments – electric guitar, piano, light drum rhythm – and the song’s overall songwriting structure. I’d recommend this one. Next is “You’re Gone” and it features the folk-harp (aka the autoharp?), acoustic and a slide guitar. There’s a very “airy” light production here – the snare sounds like it was recorded in a different way or perhaps in a different room. Fry’s voice has a different treatment (echo effect?) to it as well, but I think the mixing worked great for this country-folkish number. The last track called “Ignore You” features just Fry on piano accompanied by her beautiful voice. The way she plays this song on the piano, I can’t help but think that she’s had some classical training. There’s a bit of blues and melancholy with some of the chords she plays, too. Her heartbreaking, or heartwarming words (depending how you interpret the lyrics), remind me of some of the singer/songwriter’s who wrote songs directly from the piano. I don’t want to make direct comparisons, because Fry’s voice is a clear, high soprano, but some artists that come to mind are Fiona Apple, Carole King, Taylor Swift and Tori Amos, just to name a few. But I think T. Swift sings soprano? I don’t know, really. Overall, a fabulous heartfelt debut!
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