Quotes
“Voice like jazzy English church bells… In the past, I have sat on my very own patio, listening to Grace on the stereo, begging her not to ever stop. Lately she’s been making jazzy interpretations of country music, which seems an odd marriage. Haunting steel-guitar riffs crossed with Grace’s jazz-infused interpretations? Pure buttah. And her five-piece band is tight, tasteful and — this night at least — features the terrific Anthony Wilson, guitarist for Diana Krall.”
– Chris Erskine, LA Times
“Wednesday’s (Blues Alley) performance suggested that Grace’s role models, who include Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman and Nancy Wilson, have only encouraged her to find her own way…at once smart alluring and evocative.”
– Mike Joyce, Washington Post
“By turns haunting, bittersweet, insightful and buoyant…The mystery of Grace’s art runs deep. What we know for sure is this musical road map can take you somewhere important.”
– Chuck Graham, Tucson Citizen
“The stuff of imaginative talent on the rise”
–Don Heckman, Los Angels Times
“The Kathleen Grace Band lives somewhere between cheeky and poignant, plugging their brand of jazz, rock, and folk into the purity of music and coming up with awe-inspiring results…Based out of Los Angeles, Grace and her band have worked through the music scene in the area with their attention to detail, extraordinary storytelling abilities, and delightfully pure music.”
– Jordan Richardson, Blog Critics Magazine
“as sultry and street-smart as Peggy Lee, armed and ready for conquest.”
–Christopher Louden, JazzTimes
“Mix jazz with pop and you’re likely to end up with Diana Krall or worse. L.A. vocalist Kathleen Grace, whose influences run from Wayne Shorter to Nick Drake, is considerably more inspired on this, her third album. Without really trying, her sublime soprano can evoke Kate Bush (“Penny”) or Laura Nyro (“Elijah”)… a missing link between the cocktail lounge and the concert hall, Mirror does them both proud. ”
–Bill Forman, Colorado Springs Independent
“Charting a new route that your won’t be able to pigeon hole straight away, Grace is a jazzy vocalist that mines a Rickie Lee Jones groove with a smoother voice and veers it into classic singer/songwriter territory. A smart and polished presentation, Grace has loads on the ball and the open eared looking for a new kick are sure to find it right off here. (Monsoon)”
–Chris Spector, Midwest Record
“Genre-blurring dexterity…The airwaves should be full of Grace.”
–Christopher Louden, JazzTimes
“After a glowing recommendation from Chris Vognar, I decided to make a getaway to the Elephant Room Friday night. I got there just in time to see the Kathleen Grace Band. The music was absolutely lovely. I kept trying to think of a word to describe the Los Angeles jazz vocalist whose voice is mellow and pure. The title of her new CD captured the description perfectly: Songbird.”
–Tracy Brown, Dallas Morning News, SXSW: Best of Blog