Album Notes

In a world of disposable pop music, there are a few artists who
somehow manage to create music that pierces the monotonous
tedium of the Top 40. From the first time we hear them there is
an intimacy, a fire, a subtle shade of interpretation that spurs
our imagination. With repeated encounters comes a warmth and
familiarity that can only be described as visceral. We connect
with them. We feel we know them. Mary-Kathryn is such an
artist.

On her fourth album, Dreams & Visions, Mary-Kathryn blends
elements of soft pop, rock and folk with world music influences
as diverse as the continents to create a spiritual amalgam that
transcends musical boundaries. Sophisticated without being
elitist; understated without being simplistic, Mary-Kathryn
displays an emotional depth that can only be described as
remarkable. The album features appearances by Hugh Marsh
on Violin and Fergus Marsh on Chapman Stick & Bass, Tony
Morra on Drums & Percussion, the Finnish vocal group Fire
4U, co-produced by Paul Buono and Mary-Kathryn and
mixed by Tony Palacios at the Sound Kitchen.

While her earlier releases hinted at Mary-Kathryn’s world music
influences, her new millennium release, One Spirit, exploded with
exotic rhythms and Old World passions. Middle Eastern
cadences nestled comfortably against Native American
inflections. Traditional folk melodies from France, Italy, and
America melded seamlessly with musical influences from such
faraway lands as India and Ireland, Africa and Egypt. And shot
through it all was a deep and abiding spirituality.

With Dreams & Visions Mary-Kathryn delves even deeper into
the world music realm, painting word pictures on an aural
canvas with exotic instrumentation, adroit production, and
lyrics that are nothing short of God-haunted. But as Billboard
Magazine’s reviewer so aptly put it, “the most affecting
instrument…is Mary-Kathryn’s lovely voice.”