Christine Kane: Get Down To Get Up

At the International Folk Alliance Conference in San Diego in February, Christine Kane was selected among hundreds for an official showcase. It’s easy to see why. She’s at ease on stage, likely because of years of experience. Right Outta Nowhere is her fifth album (I don’t know how I missed her until now). Her songs are poetically engaging yet not too dispirit that you can’t sing along. Several songs express the possibility that big changes CAN be made in our lives, despite hearing the opposite, even from ourselves (Right Outta Nowhere, Now That You Know, & Whole Other World). Since this is a prevailing theme on the album, it makes you wonder what she may have recently gone through.

In the song Falling in Love with the Wind, Christine challenges you to do more than just talk: How will you go the long journey if you’re always about to begin? How will you know you’re home if you keep falling in love with the wind? I’d be curious to hear what you think about the ultimatum presented in the comical Four Legs Good. Two Legs Bad. Since I’ve taken in 13 abandoned or abused dogs and cats it’s easy to see which character in the song I admire. What about you?

The album closes with a bonus (but not hidden) live track about a young Catholic girl’s obsession with Lent: Mary Catherine’s Ash Wednesday Journal Entry. This one’s a lot of fun, Catholic or not. Right Outta Nowhere is one of those albums that grabs you the first time through, but doesn’t wear out after frequent play. If Christine Kane comes to a small club in your town, don’t pass on the experience, because the next time through she’ll be on a bigger stage and you might be sitting in the back.