Kerry Getz

Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

Alternative pop

Status:

Most recent release, It's a Wonderful Life (2003); most recent non-seasonal release, little victory (2002)

See also:

Kerry Getz's Facebook page

Comparisons:

Dido, Mary Chapin Carpenter. No doubt there are others that comparisons could be made to.

Covers/own material:

Own, often co-written

General comments:

See album comments below, given that my impressions are based entirely on little victory. (mapravat@prairienet.org)

little victory is the first we've heard

Recordings:

• Apollo (1997)
• Live At The Galaxy (live, 2001)
• little victory (2002)
• It's a Wonderful Life (2003)

little victory

Release info:

2002—World in Motion Records—wm0003

Availability:

Unknown

Ecto priority:

Very highly recommended

Group members:

Kerry Getz—vocals, acoustic guitar

Guest artists:

Martin Beal—guitars, bass, percussion, keyboards, programming, electric piano, tibetan singing bowls, tv, organ, broom
Barry Hovis—electric piano
Stevie Distanislao—drums
Chris Hanlin, Brett Bixby, Rae Enrico, Jay Buchanan, Jason Feddy—background vocals
Seth Horan—bass
Landon Donsbach—electric piano
Billy Payne—piano

Produced by:

Martin Beal

Comments:

I can't say that Getz breaks any totally new ground, but she is superb at what she does. The tunes are among the most listenable of their genre in my recent experience, and she's a first-class lyricist. Many, though not all, of the songs on this album deal with relationships in conflict; yet she brings a fresh approach to each of them. She definitely is not a one-trick pony in that regard. There are many good artists with whom she has a lot in common; a couple of examples that come to me somewhat out of the air are Mary Chapin Carpenter, in her more contemplative moments that deviate from the straight country model, and Dido. The biggest challenge that Getz faces will be to win greater exposure while resisting the forces of commercial homogenization; I wish her success. (mapravat@prairienet.org)

It's a Wonderful Life

Release info:

2003—World in Motion Records (PO Box 15895/San Francisco, CA 94115)—WM0004

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Kerry Getz—vocals; acoustic guitar (7, 8)

Guest artists:

Martin Beal—guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, programming
Barry Hovis—pump organ (1, 8); mellotron (2, 5); piano (2, 7, 11)
Stuart Pearson—hurdy gurdy (9), keyboard (6)
Rick "the drummer" Campos—drums (4, 8)
Landon Donsbach—upright bass (4)
Jason Feddy—background vocals (10)

Produced by:

Martin Beal

Comments:

This isn't so much a holiday album as an album with a holiday theme. There are four originals, 5 traditionals/classics, and 2 covers of modern songs. The style is folk/rock throughout, and even the traditional songs are liberally arranged to match the sound. This is an excellent album, a blend of old and new, and one of the few seasonal albums that really captures the unique sound and vision of a particular artist. Very highly recommended. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Thanks to Mitch Pravatiner and JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.