As the alter ego of Americana artist Katharine Cole, "Kitty Rose" was a real cowgirl who ran a ranch in the small rural community of Hopland, California. Between riding her horses, herding cattle and other ranch chores, she wrote and sang some great country music over the previous 20 years.
Katharine Cole is an award-winning singer-songwriter with deep roots in country, blues and rock. Raised in Texas and moving to California, she has released nine albums over her career including two country releases Greatest Hits! and Live at The Ryman under the moniker “Kitty Rose.” She has been one of the top-drawing artists in the San Francisco Bay Area and landed in the Traditional Music Hall of Fame.
On this release, her ‘Country Noir’ influences come through with songs such as Hymn in E, where she tackles religious bigotry and Dixie, where she takes a traditional song and rearranges it as a criticism of the slave trade that was supported in the South over many decades.
Recorded at the famous Fantasy Studios and produced by Chris von Sneidern (John Wesley Harding/Chuck Prophet), There is No God features many local musicians, including Pam Delgado, Dawn Richardson, Michael Papenberg and Shana Morrison, as well as Paul Reveli.
Not one to shy away from controversy, Katharine tackles the demise of small town America in Stupid Little Towns and the impact of domestic violence on Old Scars. She sings in a confident voice and has much to recommend her swagger. The eleven songs run at a fine pace and make for a cohesive listen. Ending with a cover of the Joan Armatrading classic The Weakness in Me, she also does a great version of the Phil Lee song Just Some Girl, which tackles the subject of murder most foul. Touchstone is also a fine track that reminds me of Maria McKee in the vocal delivery and the production overall is very impressive.