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May 28, 2014
Invariably, the first thing music critics want to discuss about Kat Edmonson is her voice. It's been described as a "honeyed, light-gauge, faintly crinkly singing voice, an instrument of self-containment and reflection" (The New York Times), "a timeless-sounding voice" (NPR), and one that "regularly draws comparisons to Blossom Dearie and Billie Holiday" (Jazz Times).
And while it's tempting to wax poetic in describing her unique vocal capabilities, it's more surprising people haven't noted that mostly she sounds like she's having a blast.
"It's not something I worked terribly hard for. It's a talent that I've always had. It's natural," she explains. So natural in fact she says she's constantly singing, be it in her car, cleaning the house, in the bath tub. She pulls out an analogy that sets her laughing. "It's like a sheepdog has to herd sheep — I have to sing."
Born in Houston, Texas, Edmonson, spent a year at the College of Charleston after being an American Idol contestant on the show's second season. She then moved back to Austin, in pursuit of a musical career. The move paid off. Austin music lovers quickly put Edmonson on their list of favorites.
In 2009, she self-released her first album Take to the Sky which soared into the top 20 on Billboard's jazz charts, and before long she was sharing the stage with fellow Texans Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett. She also appeared on The Tonight Show and toured with Lovett as the opening act.
While on the road with the gangly country crooner, Edmonson wrote some songs, and crowd-funded her next album Way Down Low, released in 2012. The LP brought her recognition on the national level and built on an already blazing ascent. It wasn't long before she found herself packing up and moving to New York. But the reason she gives for that move is less about wanting to take a bite of the Big Apple than it is about pursuing a deeply rooted personal journey. Blame it on growing up watching old black-and-white movies and learning the music of the '30s to '50s inside out.
Read more: http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/jazz-singer-kat-edmonsons-time-traveling-voice-sounds-like-it-comes-from-another-era/Content?oid=4927279
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