Reviews
UK’s The ROCKER reviews IN THE CITY – Feb 2011
Back In December I enthused about the five track album sampler for “In The City” by Kat La Key. I said then that it was a wee cracker and a worthy follow-up to her top-tapping 2005 release “How Ya Like It…”.
And now I’ve got the whole 16 track album spinning away merrily, and I’m pleased to report that you can feel the quality as well as the width, as the full length release carries on giving pleasure well after most albums have crossed their legs and sparked up a cigarette. The full set shows an even greater variety of mad skillz from Ms La Key, as she leaps from the rocky edge of ‘He’s The Man’ to the purer country sounds of ‘Damn! (You’re So Beautiful)’ to the infuriatingly catchy ‘Sure Do’ on into the commercial, radio friendly ‘I’m City, He’s Country’.
It’s a modern sounding country release with a great production from Tim Feswick. My new favourite, though, is ‘Leave You WIth A Smile’, an achingly lovely song, which has leapt straight to the top of my internal chart. Ms La Key has written all the songs, and there isn’t really a duff one among them. It’s all put together beautifully as well, with a lavish booklet, all the lyrics and some fabulous illustrations.
It’s the kind of album that should be shooting up the US country charts and I’m sure given half a chance, fans of Gretchen Wilson, Miranda Lambert and Jo Dee Messina would snap it up.
Download @ Amazon or visit http://katlakey.com/ for more details and buying links.
Kat La Key – In The City – by Daryl Kirkup CAPITAL NEWS Magazine
“It’s been an amazing musical and personal journey for Kat la Key and, after honing her songwriting skills over the last decade, she is now in a position to place her name strongly in the hearts of a legion of new fans with In The City, and that is something this extremely talented lady richly deserves.”
In The City Review – American Chronicle 16th Jan 2011
by Kendra Beltran of Bryan Farrish Radio Promotions USA
Kat La Key proves Keith Urban isn’t the only one down under with a country flare. One listen through In The City and listeners are bound to pick up that Kat’s no one trick pony. Her sound’s an array of styles from the rock of “He’s the Man” to the dance vibe of “Damn! (you’re so beautiful),” but all have country at heart. Speaking of dance, “Leave You with a Smile” is a duet that sounds like a song straight out of a John Hughes classic prom scene. Kat’s heart definitely beats to its own drum time after time throughout and fans of Gretchen Wilson and Jo Dee Messina will love Kat’s country girl with rough edges sound.
Track 1: Her First single in the US “Sure Do” kicks things into gear on “In The City” A long, drawn out intro is absent and allows listeners to be hooked from the start when Kat’s natural gift takes charge. This catchy country tune will have fans singing and clapping along in an instant.
Track 8: “I’m City, He’s Country” like “Sure Do,” starts things off right as it begins. It’s a ladies anthem with amazing choruses that will set up camp in listeners’ minds.
Track 10: “In The City” is the title track tucked towards the end to remind listeners why they came on the Kat La Key journey. It’s got a pop beat and country attitude fans of Carrie Underwood will enjoy.
French Country Music magazine – Le Cri du Coyote ( issue 120 Dec/Jan2011)
Kat La Key – In The City, Reviewed by Roland Lanzarone — English version below
Kat se produit depuis 20 ans et a parcourul‘Europe, les USA et récemment le Canada.
Elle dit destiner ses 16 compositions dece 5ème album à ses fans en vue de les égayer et les sortir de leur torpeur. Elle yva donc de sa musique alternative et parmoments frénétique qui donne l‘impressiond‘être en discothèque. Aucun doute la-dessus en écoutant le rythme infernal et martelé de Sure Do (les mille façons de dire je t‘aime) et de Tradin‘ My Old Man (j‘échangerais bien mon pantoufl ard contre un actif !). Done My Dough (mieux vautêtre riche) est du même calibre sauf que par moments le violon de Ray Legere lui donne une sonorité cajun. Les pops et les pop rock
ne manquent pas, il portent des titres comme Leave You With A Smile (on s‘aime mais on se quitte avec le sourire), This Kind Of Love (“un amour comme le nôtre il n‘en existe pas deux“), Take The
Chance On Love (ne te décourage pas) et Dog House (je te taillerai,toi mon diamant brut). Avec Terminal (impossible de t‘oublier) et la chanson titre on entre carrément dans la techno. C‘est aussi le cas de Damn (que tu es belle !) sauf que l‘atmosphère est si électrique qu‘on a l‘impression d‘être sous une pluie d‘étincelles. Viennent ensuite les musiques plus habituelles : le boogie dans Turn Up The Sound, les rockabillies : He‘s The Man (mon père est l‘homme le plus riche et le plus puissant d‘ici) et dans le genre sautillant I Don‘t Give Up Easy. On commence à se calmer dans Chasing A Perfect Day (bluesy rock) et on accède enfi n à la douceur dans Still Dream Of You (les aiguilles tournent, les souvenirs reviennent et dans mon sommeil je rêve de toi). L‘album contient néanmoins une très belle country trottante, I‘m City, He‘s Country qui décrit l‘amour entre une citadine et un rural mal dégrossi. Pour en savoir plus sur Kat consultez son site www.katlakey.com ou écrivez lui PO Box 5248, Daisy Hill, Qld 4127
French to English translation of the above French review
Translated by Yvette d’Entremont
Kat has been playing for the past 20 years and has travelled Europe, the United States and most recently, Canada. She says that all 16 original tracks on her 5th album are fun and upbeat for the listeners, and get them moving. Her rock-edged sound and energetic beat gives you the feeling of being in a disco. None more obvious when you listen to the infectious and pounding rhythm of Sure Do and Tradin’ My Old Man. Done My Dough has the same feel, except for Ray Légère’s fiddle which gives it a Cajun sound. The pop and pop-rock beats abound, with tracks like Leave You with a Smile and Dog House. With Terminal, and the title track, we definitely get a feel of a techno beat, as is the case for Damn; however, the sound is so electric, that “sparks literally fly”. Next come the music which is more typical of Kat’s sound: the boogie sound in Turn up the Sound, the rockabilly sound of He’s the Man, and the upbeat I Don’t Give Up Easy. Things start to slow down in Chasing a perfect Day, and we finally get to the soft sound of Still Dream of You. The album’s last track, a very catchy country tune is I’m City, He’s Country, a song about a city-dweller and a rough-edged country guy. To find out more about Kat, check out her website or write to her at: www.katlakey.com
UK’s Zeitgeist reviews ~ In The City
KAT LA KEY In The City album sampler December 2010
self released 2010 Posted by Mr H ~ Zeitgeist ~ Edinburgh UK
It’s been a whiles since we last heard from Australian country singer / songwriter Kat La Key. In fact, a quick trawl through the archives shows that it was the 2005 release “How Ya Like It…” that had me tapping my feet with pleasure.
This is album number five, and I’ve got five tracks to have a listen to. The opener, ‘I’m City, He’s Country’ is an exteremely commercial, audience friendly tune with a great hook. It sets you up for a very enjoyable listen as Ms La Key aims straight for the Gretchen Wilson audience with her listenable voice, and way with a melody. She’s held on to some rough edges, which keeps at bay the dreaded world of pop-country, and songs like ‘Tradin’ In My Old Man’ and ‘Done My Dough’ will be spinning in your head for days.
For some reason, Ms La Key abandoned the Antipodes, and headed off to the land of my cousins, Nova Scotia, to record this album with producer Tim Feswick, and between them they’ve done a bang up job on the songs I’ve heard. The full album has 16 tracks, and if they’re as good as the ones on the sampler, then country fans are in for a rare treat. www.the-rocker.co.uk
IN THE CITY album review January 2011
Listening to this brilliant new album from Brisbane-based singer/songwriter KAT LA KEY is like a breath of fresh air. It’s a collection of 16 well-written, beautifully produced songs that you want to hear more than once, simply because they inspire you to do so. Edgy and rocky yet with distinctive country influences, it’s a pot-pourri of genres but it works superbly, all the while drawn together by Kat’s distinctive and stunning vocals. In The City was produced by renowned Canadian producer Tim Feswick and is set to stamp Kat la Key’s name strongly in the hearts of a legion of new fans. Tradin’ In My Old Man, the album’s first release, is a highlight along with Sure Do, Done My Dough, Turn Up The Sound and Dog House. Kat la Key has been described as the new cutting edge sound of Alternative Country, a sound that’s a pleasant experience indeed.
Review by Daryl Kirkup - Capital News January 2011 (Vol 36 No. 1)
Singles
 DONE MY DOUGH: Download Now > |
 TRADIN’ IN MY OLD MAN: Download Now > Check out the video clip on youtube search youtube.com for- katlakeymusic |