I'll admit it: I have mixed feelings about Kate Voegele.
Kate Voegele is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist from Bay Village, Ohio.
"Don't Look Away," was released in May 2007 and re-released in January on MySpace Records, in addition
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Her first and only album, "Don't Look Away," was released in May 2007 and re-released in January on MySpace Records, in addition to a special iTunes exclusive release in May.
A PR company press release describes Voegele as a "singer/songwriter" with "something truly distinctive to offer."
I must say, I'm impressed by the concept of Voegele being signed by MySpace Records, because of its implications: It suggests she has talent appreciated not just by music producers sitting in cushy chairs, trying to decide on the next big thing, but also by the listeners of music.
In other words, Voegele seems to have appeal to actual people, who've made her popular enough to be signed, so there must be a significant number of people who enjoy her music.
(She may also be gaining that fan base after appearing in the role of Mia on The CW's "One Tree Hill.")
It's quite a feat (which is an understatement) to become popular through a social-networking site, and it's entirely plausible that you will disagree with me about Voegele's music.
Still, despite the hype about the music (which can be heard on myspace.com/katevoegele and bought on iTunes) and her evident popularity, I'm not a huge fan.
There's no denying Voegele's talent: She has a powerful voice, and the music on the album is tight and professional. (It's hard to tell who plays what on the CD — Voegele plays piano and guitar in addition to singing, but she also has a backup band comprised of bass, guitar and a slew of other instruments.)
"Don't Look Away" starts with "Chicago," which begins with a guitar melody, joined shortly by Voegele's vocals.
The music is sincere, but it gets mildly formulaic: Much of the rest of the album starts off with a lonely melody, then flows into vocals that build to a chorus before backing off for more verse.
Voegele's voice is the driver behind her music: The melodies, while at times catchy (such as on "Might Have Been," which features a memorable guitar opening and backing), can also blend together into an indistinguishable mush of background noise. "Facing Up," for instance, is driven almost entirely by Voegele's voice, with backing guitar and piano that require effort to notice.
Frankly, my two biggest criticisms are weak: The music doesn't sound very original, and it just doesn't grab me. Voegele is talented, but she's not doing anything special on her album.
The latter criticism may be due to preference on my part. I've never found myself drawn to music from Voegele's genre. And this is where the mixed feelings I mentioned at the beginning of this review come in: Knowing that Voegele is popular for reasons other than manipulation of audiences by record labels, and given her obvious and impressive talent, I have trouble writing off Voegele's music completely.
The songs are thoughtful, and I found myself liking songs like "Devil In Me," which is fun to listen to and features a pop chorus and guitars, or the fast-paced "One Way Or Another," which showcases Voegele's vocal power and features a wide range of instruments that work together to build up the song into a complete piece.
My recommendation is that you check out Voegele for yourself. The genres she blends are eclectic and far-reaching, and she's a talented musician.
I would recommend either buying some of her tracks or seeing her live — she's coming to Chameleon Club June 19.
FYI
WHAT: Kate Voegele
WHERE: Chameleon Club, 223 N. Water St., Lancaster
WHEN: 6 p.m. Thursday, June 19
COST: $10. This is an all-ages show.
INFO: Visit www.chameleonclub.net
NOW PLAYING
The Coffee Co., 1638 Lititz Pike, Lancaster; all shows 7 to 9 p.m., including:
Friday: Tom Herr — acoustic covers and originals
Saturday: Mark and Kathie Rickart — soft acoustic rock
Thursday, June 19: Frank Amanze — acoustic rock, blues, and folk covers and originals
Saturday, June 21: Jack Brunner — country, folk, soft rock and oldies
Thursday, June 26: Rupert Wates— original folk rock
Friday, June 27: Butch Maser — folk, Beatles' tunes and oldies
Saturday, June 28: Frank Velardo — soul jazz, from Coltrane to Hendrix
Chameleon Club, 223 N. Water St., Lancaster:
5:30 p.m. Friday: 7th Layer with Hierosonic, Half Lip, Seis Fifth, Suicide Puppets, Lil D, The Gorgonites and Shangri La; $10 in advance, $12 day of show; all ages
7 p.m. Saturday: The Spill Canvas with Steel Train, Ludo and Sing it Loud; $13 in advance, $15 day of show; all ages
6 p.m. Thursday, June 19: Kate Voegele, $10; all ages
8 p.m. Friday, June 20: Medeski, Martin & Wood; $25; must be 18 to enter
7p.m. Saturday, June 21: Just Surrender with Every Avenue; The Morning Light; You, Me, and Everyone We Know; and Captain of Compliments; $12 in advance, $13 day of show; all ages
6 p.m. Tuesday, June 24: Alkaline Trio with Bayside and The Fashion; $17 in advance; $20 day of show; all ages
6 p.m. Thursday, June 26: Circus Circus with Greene Reveal, Ventriloquist and We Were Skeletons
Henry Linder, a graduate of McCaskey High School, will be a freshman at Swarthmore College in the fall.
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