By Charlie Englar
Kathryn Mostow provides a shining example that music and artistry can be a spiritual release. It’s been nearly seven years since Mostow’s last studio album, and with a copyright year of 2012, Rich Girl is an album laced with country-style redemption and rebirth.
The title of the album goes far beyond the superficial initial suggestion. A quote on the inside flap of the disc booklet reads: “Think I’d rather be rich from the songs that I sing, the love that I give, the goodness it brings.”
A strong opening track fills the listener with all one needs to understand the overall tone that Mostow is trying to initiate. “I’m Still Here” produces varied lines of self-understanding and emotional intelligence: “I could have been a statistic/a number on the page/…it could have been a car crash on a wet and rainy night/so blinded by the headlights/no time to set things right.” John Macy’s pedal steel twangs thoughts of upbeat emotion within a moment of self-reflection.
“In Assisi” serenely references the central Italian town of Assisi, the birthplace of Franciscan order founder St. Francis. Nick Forster‘s Renaissance-like mandolin strumming provides a picturesque mold of cobblestone walkways while Mostow sings, “And I walk these streets/where St. Francis once stood/he was preaching love, preaching truth/how I wish I knew these things.”
When pen produces pure thoughts upon paper, one can’t help but notice. Kathryn Mostow takes a leap of faith with Rich Girl, and her lyrical commitment and truthfulness take center stage. Don’t miss her live performance at Avogadro’s Number on November 18.
kathrynmostow.com