Katy Rose Bennett – Where Does It Hurt? An Introduction to Katy Rose Bennett
Independent – 30 October 2020
The release of a collection showcasing the back catalogue of an artist is obviously a well-tried and tested undertaking, as evidenced, for example, by the recent crop of compilations from Topic Records. Where Does It Hurt? An Introduction To Katy Rose Bennett falls squarely within this category and is a perfect primer for those yet to encounter and enjoy this highly talented song-writer and performer.
Having been writing and performing for over 20 years, the artist formerly known as KTB has a wealth of high-quality material from which to draw, and selecting which tracks to include here from her previous five full-length releases cannot have been an easy task. It is obvious, however, that the choices have been clearly thought-out, as the selection demonstrably represents both her unique song-writing style and her many and varied influences. Whilst nothing is taken from her fine sophomore album Bluebird, tracks from the remaining four albums all feature, giving a coherent retrospective. The addition of two excellent new songs, one of which is this album’s title track, bring things neatly up to date.
Katy’s history, both personal and professional has been well-documented but bears repeating, informing so vitally, as it does, her creative work. To briefly summarise, her early success as a musician, which included being a BBC Young Folk Award finalist, receiving critical acclaim for her music, suffered a severe setback as a decline in her mental health, at the age of 20, set in. These issues continued for several years, during which time she was studying for a music degree. With her mental health improving, and having finished her degree, she released Indelible Ink in 2009. Marriage and becoming a parent put songwriting and performing on the back-burner, but over a two year period, she recorded Songs Of the River Rea, released in 2016. Her life was turned upside down, once again, a year later as she was suddenly struck by Functional Neurological Disorder. A return to musical creativity was spurred on by a grant from Help Musicians UK to attend a prestigious song-writing retreat in Vancouver, Canada in August 2018.
Given the above, it will be no surprise that there is a core vein of an autobiographical nature running through Katy’s work, with themes exploring love, in a variety of guises, the delights and challenges of parenthood, depression, obsession, stories of people and places, both real and imagined and songs related to the struggles of just living a life with a mind and body which doesn’t always do what you want them to.
The opening track on this collection, One Day, is one of four taken from 2016’s Songs of The River Rea.
Released as a single in July of this year, the song was written nearly ten years ago during an acute depressive episode. The jaunty, upbeat Soweto-infused guitar and percussion sounds belie the darkness of the lyrics which reference feeling mentally trapped, albeit with a hint of optimism for the future
And is this just for one day
Or is this forever?
I don’t know if I can stay with no means of escape…
…And I knew that one day soon I’d be free again
The harmonious vocals woven intricately around gentle acoustic guitars herald Cold November Day, a song written in 2011, three years after the loss of her grandmother, which tackles the themes of loss and remembrance in a way that is both tender and affectionate. One More Time, a relationship song propounding the love binding two people seemingly at war, and the fear of loss, benefits from the simplicity and sparseness of just piano and voices. The more outward-looking Jack & Ivy completes the selection from the 2016 release. Written for Ivy, a former Selly Oak neighbour, threads of loneliness, community, love and nostalgia are sewn into lyrics which bring a lump to the throat
Nobody cares for nobody
Not like the way we used to be
Jack, if you’re watching over me
Won’t you take me home?
The two tracks taken from 2009’s Indelible Ink are both crackers. Girl With The Sad Shoes is an upbeat acoustic guitar-led narrative tale, exploring the trials of having ‘sad shoes’ inspired by a friend’s experiences at school. Sonically, the vocal performance here brings to mind both Suzanne Vega and, on the chorus, Charlie Dore, both of which are good things. The unrequited love song I Like You Like Me, written back in 2006, sees electric guitars to the fore, alongside luscious vocal harmonies, on a light, airy pop-infused piece showcasing the range of Katy’s song-writing styles.
The melancholic timbre of the lyrics which reference the end of a relationship, and the judgments that others will make, are perfectly reflected in the stark, reverential, piano playing, on Did You See. Taken from her last album release, The Meantime, (2019), acknowledged as an album written at a time when her life was in flux, this is an achingly emotional offering, an exceptional song.
And people will judge me
People will talk…
…How I made this choice
Between me and you
And it’s the hardest, hardest thing
I’ve ever had to do
Two songs, recorded during the UK lockdown, give an insight into Katy’s more recent writing. When I Close My Eyes is an a cappella gospel-tinged recording of a song written about longing for the sea, mountains and nature when you’re stuck in a city.
The title track Where Does It Hurt?, however, might be viewed as being at the very heart of this collection. Written in response to hearing an interview with the civil rights activist Ruby Sale, and the work of academic Casandra Brené Brown, the lyrics deal “with shame, vulnerability, empathy and connection between people and through music”. Katy’s hauntingly beautiful vocals are accompanied by a superlative string quartet arrangement by Ruthie Lindsay. A sublimely powerful song of great depth, the accompanying video was recently premiered on Folk Radio UK and can be seen here.
Where does it hurt?
Where is the pain?
Where is the rage, the sadness?
Where is the shame?
The oldest song offered on this collection, fittingly bringing the album to a close, is the delightfully bucolic End of The Day, written nearly 20 years ago, it first appeared on the 2002 album All Calm In Dreamland. Another narrative pop song, having witnessed a fatal road accident, it tells the imagined story of a young man riding his moped from Singapore back to Malaysia after a 10-hour working day, a rush-hour journey, I know from having witnessed it, that is not undertaken lightly.
Superbly mastered by Tony Poole, Where Does It Hurt? An introduction to Katy Rose Bennett does exactly what it says on the tin, with a collection of songs showcasing the prodigious and varied talents of a singer-songwriter who deserves a much wider audience and recognition. The quality of the title track suggests that such a development might well be on the horizon. Here’s looking to even more wide-open skies.
Pre-Order via Bandcamp: https://katyrosebennettmusic.bandcamp.com/album/where-does-it-hurt-an-introduction-to-katy-rose-bennett