Kathy Phillips

Sweet harmonies of Kathy and Kim and the sun setting behind us were beautiful and peaceful and a great way to kick back and relax... Kathy Phillips, Kim Williams, and Walt Bibinger, Marshall Crenshaw and 93 year young Honeyboy Edwards - Music experiences like this evening's are few and far between.

In her follow-up album, Carries You Away, Kathy Phillips proves two things some of us knew already…she’s a talented vocalist and a solid lyricist… “Rita’ is an absolute gem, while Phillips’ cover of The Band’s “Evangeline” is touching and honest…

Four stars (out of five stars)

While Kathy Phillips’ debut CD, Sway, had a jazz-pop feel, her second release, Carries You Away, displays her ability to write, play and sing with a twang. The songs, musicians and vocal harmonies on this album make it another indie project worth listening to.

Sounds like: A country album with pop/rock undertones

Kathy Phillips' Carries You Away - It's an album heavily weighted to the country side of Americana. It sounds a bit like those old Ronee Blakley albums I reviewed in late 2006: fiddles, steel guitar, piano and a solid rhythm section. In fact, pedal steel guitarist Robby Turner (Waylon Jennings and Jim Lauderdale) plays the bulk of the solos and makes himself very comfortable behind Kathy's deep rich voice. Travis Wetzel (violin), Barry Mitterhoff (mandolin), Anthony Krizan (Spin Doctors) on electric guitar, and Matt Angus (guitar) among others, add sterling backing.

Ms. Phillips wrote (or co-wrote) nine of the songs and proves herself to be a thoughtful lyricist, as well as coming up with some decent musical hooks. "You write your book of wisdom and all / your silly thoughts upon my wall / you call it your own scripture, we're / disciples following you down the hall / step inside a real dark room / shut the door it's much too soon." That's "Nothing is Good Enough" but the all lyrics are both thoughtful and thought-provoking.

It's not all about the words, though. The music ranges from country ("Nothing is Good Enough") to dreamy ("Little Secret") to folky ("Come Back Again") to the mandolin-based shuffle of "Everything is Different Now." And it wraps up with a solid take on The Band's "Evangeline." Kathy Phillips enunciates much clearer than Emmylou Harris, and her band acquits itself beautifully.

KATHY PHILLIPS/Carries You Away: An Americana songstress with help from some alt.rockers, Phillips is one of those under the radar gems that you are glad to come across.  Delivering a tasty little date that’s right on the money whether kicking it out on originals or covers, Phillips has a quality that you wouldn’t expect from a Jersey girl that pulls you in with it’s heartland charm.  Sets like this certainly show that indie is the new alt.

Kathy Phillips is one of the rich New Jersey music scene's best female artists. On her indie debut, "Sway," are four songs that could be hit singles: the touching jazz-pop of "Leaves Changing," the haunting "Angels Never Sleep," the uplifting "Fly High" and the bouncy "Change Your Heart."...

Despite decades of broadening horizons, it isn't unusual for people to equate "musician" or "singer-songwriter" with a guitar-slinging guy. The truth is, there are plenty of relevant song-spinners absent in that assumption, and some New Jersey concert series and venues are doing their part to make sure women's voices are heard.

In November, Kathy Phillips had the pleasure of singing with blues legend Pinetop Perkins at the Stanhope House. Now, she is in the midst of writing new material while promoting her latest roots-driven CD, "Carries You Away." She said she is happy to make Friday's Stanhope show part of the effort.

"Growing up, I listened to a lot of female artists such as Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, Emmylou Harris, Chrissie Hynde," Phillips said. "I was just naturally drawn to the women singers-songwriters because I felt I could relate to them, and I was so inspired by what they did."

Phillips commented that though our culture still focuses too much on beauty and youth, it is a positive step to see the substantive aspects of women in music being honored.

"The music business now puts too much emphasis on the visual aspect of women artists and it really needs to be about the talent -- the music -- not how one can coordinate lip-synching and swinging around a pole. Talent and professionalism can actually go a long way if given the chance," she said

The sophomore release from Kathy Phillips — a mere five years after her debut — showcases a confident talent with a strong, emotive voice who can really craft her songs. There's a definite country touch to the New Jersey songstress' material, most notable on tunes like "Walking Out the Door," where she puts on her best Loretta Lynn, but there's also a very strong pop element to the music on the Sheryl Crow adult pop end of the spectrum, perfectly illustrated by the little gem "Ordinary Day." She can be quite enigmatic in her lyrics, as she is on "Rita," or quite blunt, on the other-woman scenario of "Little Secret." There's good production by Matt Angus, and the arrangements are varied enough to offer plenty of changeups in the sound. Wherever the album goes, Phillips sounds comfortable and in control, passionate but with enough coolness in her voice that it works very sensually. Perhaps the standout track, though, is "Sleep," which evokes images of Crowded House in its rich arrangement. All in all, Kathy Phillips deserves to break through with this record.

What makes a performer special? The ability to empathize through a well-turned lyric, the talent for writing an effective hook, a connection with an audience projected from the stage, and a sense of purpose and passion in an artists' music are all qualities possessed by those who are able to make the transition from musician to performer...