If I'm in the car between 6 and 8 pm on Saturday, odds are I'm listening to Garrison Keillor's A Prarie Home Companion. I've been doing this since I was a little boy. I've been to see the show live once, and it is truly something you should do if you have the chance. Each show is a masterpiece.But something I forgot about APHC is that it's constantly introducing me to new music. And this week delivered a pleasant surprise.
Performing on the show was Kristin Andreassen. And the only song I caught was "Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes."
And I was hooked.
Her 2007 solo debut album, "Kiss Me Hello" is a happy mix of country, blues, folk, pop, jazz. Essentially, this is Americana music.
Andreassen is a masterful songwriter. A winner of the Jonh Lennon Songwriting contest, you can tell that ever word is deliberate, nothing thrown in or thrown away.
"Crayola" is a fun romp that starts off the album, with her searching through a big box of 64 trying to find Looking for a great song for your Valentine's Day mixtape/playlist? Might want to start here. The title track is a sweet, playful diddy that comes right in under two minutes. It's crammed with so many all-girl harmonies, horns, and light percussion, you'd think it'd be too much. "Pale Moon" might be my favorite after "Crayola," a bluegrass lullaby that I will no doubt sing to my next child.
She's also a multi-instrumentalist, playing virtually every single instrument on the album. The slow fingerpickin on "Fly" is just as good as you'd find on a Ralph Stanley album or Nickel Creek album.
I cannot praise this album or artist enough. But if you don't believe, check out the APHC webpage and listen first. Then go buy.
Get Kristin Andreassen's "Kiss Me Hello"
Buy from Amazon
Buy from CD Baby
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