"...the vision behind the raw song explodes", says Jack Scott in the New Music Review of Kathy Hussey's album If Wishes Were Horses.
What he is referring to is this collection of stories that are woven with intricate and inventive guitar work, and stitched into a lovely tapestry metaphor by Kathy's sweet, hypnotic vocal style.
And in the interest of continuing to bring in unexpected and unrelated metaphorical imagery:
If you tend to be whisked away by a great song, then pack a bag. This album is a collection of much-needed mini-vacations!
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Kathy Hussey is a progressive folk singer/songwriter based in Nashville, TN. Her music ranges from pop-tinged folk to bluegrassy hip-hop, with traces of celtic influence – her songs paint vivid portraits, rich with character and narrative, and completely free of cliche. "If Wishes Were Horses" is her first CD and contains some well-loved classics like Table for Two, and the lick-laden title track that still leaves people asking, "Is that really only one guitar?".
Hussey is the Director of Camp Summersong (Nashville’s songwriting camp for kids), the Coordinator of the Riverbluff Festival’s Performing Songwriter competition, and travels the country performing and teaching songwriting workshops for both kids and adults. In Nashville, she is well-known for her 14-year stint as host of the city’s most innovative weekly songwriter gathering which features a “title of the month” exercise, group co-writes, and outdoor campfire circles all summer long.
Songwriting accolades include a 2003 win at the Kerrville New Folk competition, top five spot at the Mountain Stage Newsongs contest, second place honors at the 2005 Suwanee Springfest and Grand Prize in Tupelo's Gum Tree Festival competition.
Kathy has just released her third independent CD, Moments of Wonder, which is receiving folk radio airplay worldwide, and features performances by such acoustic music luminaries as Tim O’Brien, Bryan Sutton, Andrea Zonn and Mike Henderson. Check out the link to that CD, and her second one, "Stranger Than Fiction" over to your left.
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“Folk Medicine”
– maybe that’s the best way to describe Kathy Hussey’s music. Let’s just say there’s no better elixir to counteract the occasional ills of the songwriting scene -- the preoccupied navel-gazing, the world-saving, and the love-lost-lamenting -- than a healthy dose of Kathy’s insightful and inspiring songs.
Where some cling to tired cliches, she invigorates the listener, spinning stories that are fresh and involving, and delivering them onstage with charm and abundant personality. Her songs channel others, giving voice to the abandoned dog, the child within a 90-year-old woman, the French ice cream vendor, the earth itself. She knows the important light isn’t the spotlight on the singer, but the one shed on the truth.
Kathy comes from everywhere, tapping into her four-corners-of-the-country upbringing and her self-described “wonder-lust” to turn out a wide range of compelling characters. And why not? Her own story is compelling. One of identical twins, adopted at birth. A hopscotch childhood, always the “new kid.” The high school for rodeo hopefuls. The college commune. The bartending. Every stop full of new things and people to try to figure out.
Kathy’s songs come to life, because she's immersed in it. She’s a trail guide, a horsewoman, a tie-dye teacher and a leader of songwriting workshops for kids. She connects with the things that connect us all, and the proof is in the accolades. Critical raves for her three self-released albums. Festival performance honors at Kerrville, Telluride and Suwannee. Songwriting awards from Mountain Stage Newsongs, American Songwriter Magazine, Just Plain Folks, and the Grand Prize from the 2006 Great American Song Contest for “The Same Mary.”
“Folk medicine.” Hmm, could be. Consider the evidence. Endorsed by the wisdom of the elders. Natural, with a finger on the human pulse. Stimulates the brain and examines the heart. Dispensed with care and humor, often enough on a house (concert) call.
Sure looks like the prescription from here. Whatever you want to call it, the doctor says that Kathy Hussey’s music is mighty good for what ails you.
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Awards, Accolades, and Pats-On-The-Back
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GRAND PRIZE - 8th Annual Great American Song Contest ("The Same Mary")
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2006 Just Plain Folks Awards:
• Best Lyric - WINNER ("The Same Mary")
• Americana Song of the Year - 6th place ("The Same Mary")
• Americana Album of the Year - nominee (Moments of Wonder)
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2006 Finalist
Telluride Troubadour Competition
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2006 4th place
American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest
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2006 Semi-Finalist
Independent Music World Series, Southeast
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2005 Grand Prize
Gum Tree Songwriters Festival
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2005 2nd place
Suwannee Springfest Song Contest
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2005 Honorable Mention
Rocky Mountain Folks Fest
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2004 Finalist
Gum Tree Songwriters Festival
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2003 Winner
Kerrville New Folk Competition
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2003 5th place
Mountain Stage Newsongs Contest
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2002 Finalist
Kerrville New Folk Competition
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