I’ve mentioned before that my music tastes vary pretty drastically. I count Britney Spears, Madonna, The Dixie Chicks and Ray LaMontagne among my favorite artists. While my tastes may lean more towards the pop spectrum most of the time, I will give any talented artist a chance. Katie Melua was one artist I’ve loved for a few years now.I first heard of her back in 2003, when her single “The Closest Thing To Crazy” cracked the UK top ten. I asked my brother to pick me up some music, while he was in the UK and Melua’s debut album Call Off The Search was one of those albums that he brought back for me. I’ve loved her ever since! Her album was subsequently released in the States.
Her follow up album, Piece By Piece, released in 2005 included one of my favorite covers, “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure as well as “Spider’s Web” and “Nine Million Bicycles.” Her newest album, Pictures was released in the UK in October of 2007 with the first single, “If You Were A Sailboat.” I bought the album as an import and have only recently started listening to it again, when I learned that she would be coming to Cambridge, MA as part of a 15 city tour here in the US this Spring. I saw her live at a free concert in Boston a couple of years back and she was fantastic live! I can’t wait to see her again.
Here is a list of tour dates:
Sun 03 May – LOS ANGELES, CA – HOTEL CAFÉ
Tue 05 May – SAN FRANCISCO, CA – GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
Thu 07 May – PORTLAND, OR – ALADDIN
Sat 09 May – SEATTLE – TRACTOR TAVERN
Mon 11 May – MINNEAPOLIS – DAKOTA JAZZ CLUB
Tue 12 May – CHICAGO – SCHUBAS
Tue 26 May – NORTHAMPTON, MA – IRON HORSE
Wed 27 May – CAMBRIDGE, MA – PASSIM
Thu 28 May – NEW YORK, NY – HIGHLINE BALLROOM
Sat 30 May – PHILADELPHIA, PA – TIN ANGEL
Sun 31 May – ALEXANDRIA, VA – THE BIRCHMERE
Mon 1 June – ANNAPOLIS, MD – RAMS HEAD ON STAGE
Tue 2 June – CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – GRAVITY LOUNGE
Thu 4 June – DECATUR, GA – EDDIE’S ATTIC
Fri 5 June – NASHVILLE, TN – THIRD & LINDSLEY
Here’s a bit about Katie Melua, courtesy of her US website:
Katie Melua has sold more than 10 million albums to date – no small feat for a singer on an independent record label. She continues her extraordinary journey with the U.S. release of Pictures, an album that delighted her legion of fans and was embraced by the media upon its release in the UK. “She sings impeccably,” proclaimed MOJO, “ in her sultry and innocent way.” With distinctive vocals and simple melodiousness, Melua says, Pictures “stays true to what I have always tried to focus on – the lyrics and melody, with emotional songs that hark back to the roots of songwriting.”
Since the release of Melua’s debut album Call Off The Search in 2003, the 24 year old has achieved astonishing success. With the help of lead track, “Closest Thing to Crazy,” she shot to the top of the UK album charts and became the biggest selling female artist for the next two years in Britain. Her sophomore album, Piece By Piece, was even more successful, spawning the hit single, “Nine Million Bicycles,” and selling 3.5 million making Katie the biggest selling UK female in the World in 2005. In December 2007, Katie topped the charts in a duet with her idol, the late Eva Cassidy, entitled “What A Wonderful World”, with proceeds donated to the British Red Cross.