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KAT

J!-ENT interviews KAT

2 J!-ENT | DECEMBER 2009

ack in 2005, Kat McDowell, the musician/songwriter from New Zealand decided to make her dream come true by mov-ing to Tokyo, where she was originally born.

At a young age, Kat was raised on Japanese music listening and singing to music tapes of Japanese folk singer Iruka belonging to her grandmother. At the age of 8-years-old, she started to write her own songs. Her original goal was to stay in Tokyo for three months but not long after she performed at various live house events, KAT was scouted by Sony and made her permanent stay in Japan. Unfortunately, because of her foreign style and her foreign look, Sony did not know how to utilize her. But in 2007, Avex Entertainment Inc. signed Kat McDowell and her indie mini-album titled “kat” was released through their independent label Rhythm Republic. The album would feature a bilingual cover of Iruka’s “Nagoriyuki” and top Japan’s vinyl charts. Kat McDowell (known as KAT) was then made an official artist of Avex’s rock sub-label binyl records and released her first major label E.P. titled “Rock’n roll boys club”. KAT has since released a total of four singles, two mini-albums and in August 2009, released her first full-length album titled “Echoes over the ocean”. The album features a collaboration with Simply Red’s Yashiki Gota who is known for producing work for Bjork, Seal and Depeche Mode. In 2009, KAT became an official art-ist for the Association of Surfing Profes-sionals (ASP) in Japan, which included appearing and providing music for the New Zealand surf-road movie “Velvet”. Because of her International appeal and the fact that she sings both in Eng-lish and Japanese, KAT’s fanbase contin-ues to grow worldwide courtesy of her YouTube channel and also on MySpace. J!-ENT recently had the opportunity to interview KAT.

J!-ENT: Before we get into questions about your music career, let’s get to know more about you as a person. You were born in Tokyo and raised

in New Zealand. What was the best part for you living in two different countries?KAT: They were very different!! I was born in the outskirts of Tokyo as a white kid who only spoke Japanese and I went to a Buddhist kindergarten.Then at the age of five my family moved to New Zealand up in the moun-tains and I was thrown in to an English speaking school. I was completely silent for 6 months and then started talking English. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.

J!-ENT: You were interested in music at the age of five. Were you born in a musical family and how did your parents play a part in learning to play music?KAT: My parents aren’t really musical apart from the fact that they like music.My Japanese grandma was the one who loved to sing and make crafts. So genetically it may have skipped a gen-eration. My younger brother started drums after seeing me play in a band.

J!-ENT: I know you grew up at a

B

J!-ENT interviews KAT

DECEMBER 2009 | J!-ENT 3

Jazz at university because I wanted to keep studying music. Now I listen to so many different things!

J!-ENT: You mentioned Madonna and Michael Jackson, Goo Goo Dolls, Foo Fighters, Incubus but was there an artist, songwriter or producer that re-ally inspired you as a music artist? KAT: I find it really hard to cut it down to one artist that has influenced me because I am influenced subliminally by everything I hear. But my favorite songwriters are John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, Jon Foreman from Switchfoot and Sting. But my list could go on forever!!

J!-ENT: You play guitar quite well. So, I’m curious what kind of songs did you like to jam to in your earlier years playing the guitar?KAT: I started playing guitar when I was 18, so I’ve only been playing 6-7 years. I still have such a long way to go before I feel like I can call myself a guitarist. I guess a lot of musicians say this but I was too lazy to learn other people’s songs. So, I wrote my own! It’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve taken up learning lots of covers for inspiration.

J!-ENT: Curious… If I was to look into your MP3/CD player right now, which artists or song would you be listening to at this time?KAT: Right now I am listening to a lot of Jason Mraz, Mute Math and I also

love Switchfoot and Nada Surf! If it’s Japanese artists, I love Ellegarden and Radwimps,Yui and Chatmonchy.

J!-ENT: What do you remember the most about yourself during the times you explored the live music scene around New Zealand?KAT: I had a lot of fun! The New Zea-land music scene is pretty small so we all knew each other and I was out play-ing gigs or going to them most nights.

J!-ENT: I read in your bio about the challenges of trying to make it in the beginning in Japan as a solo artist. Even scouted by Sony Music and they found it difficult to categorize your music. During this time, what made you decide not to give up in Japan but keep on going?KAT: I was trying to decide between New Zealand, the UK and Japan. Yeah it’s been hard and continues to be hard in some ways. But everybody has their challenges. At the end of the day, I de-cided to stay because I love Japanese people and really want to be a part of making this nation better. I guess as someone who has seen two cultures, I certainly don’t know everything but I have another perspective to bring to the table.

J!-ENT: The first time I heard your music was through your first mini-album titled “kat” and I absolutely loved it. It was a solid debut and you also did a bilingual cover of the classic folk song “Nagoriyuki”. I read from your bio that as a child, you found tapes of folk singer Iruka and would listen to it. What does that song mean to you? KAT: Iruka is a very special artist to me because she was my inspiration! It was her tape that I was listening to when I was seven and I pictured her with a guitar on a stage and it inspired me!

J!-ENT: What went through your mind when you were recording “Na-goriyuki”?KAT: I wanted to make this song my own so I tried all sorts of things. Reg-gae, punk versions and decided to go with the reggae. Then I wrote an Eng-lish version. Then mixed it up. It was all trial but I found the perfect version that I could call my own.

J!-ENT: You followed up with “rock

young age singing and songwriting but when you were younger and still in school, what career did you imag-ine yourself working in?KAT: At the age of five, I remember wanting to be a flight attendant, a teacher and a vet!

J!-ENT: What kind of student were you in high school? The artsy stu-dent? The book worm? The prank-ster? The athlete?KAT: I was the music geek who never quite made it in to the popular crowd but was quite happy doing my own thing in the music department.

J!-ENT: What was the moment in your life where you decided and knew that you wanted to pursue music as a career?KAT: I was seven and I was listening to one of my mother’s tapes on the stereo. I imagined a concert and that’s when I decided.

J!-ENT: Which artists or bands did you listen to a lot while growing up? And was there any artist that inspired you?KAT: Apart from my parent’s music, I listened to a lot of radio and made up my own melodies to those songs.The first CD I ever bought was Madon-na’s “Immaculate collection”. I also lis-tened to a lot of Michael Jackson. Then when I was a teen I listened to a lot of rock like the Goo Goo Dolls, Foo Fight-ers, Incubus. After high school I studied

J!-ENT interviews KAT

4 J!-ENT | DECEMBER 2009

‘n Roll Boys club – e.p.-“. That was a more rock driven track and was dif-ferent from your previous release and at first I was wondering if your music was going to a more Avril Lavigne style. Your style was quite different.KAT: I really like rock and I like Avril Lavigne but I was trying to find my own original rock version. Unfortunately, with a mix up of opinions with the pro-ducer and me being a little too unsure of myself at the time, the arrangement wasn’t quite what I was going for.But it was a good experience, it made me more sure about the direction I wanted to head in.

J!-ENT: You then released the single “STOP” and that was a very solid single and for the song you sing in Japanese and English. And I know some people discovering your music for the first time may wonder, why do you like to combine English and Japanese lyrics in your songs.KAT: Yeah a lot of my conversations with family or other bilingual people

can end up sounding like my songs. I use whatever language I can at the time to communicate a message to someone. That came out in a lot of my songwriting. Especially as I still wasn’t 100% confident about writing every-thing in Japanese.

J!-ENT: You did a collaboration with m-flo’s VERBAL for “S.O.S. – Same Old Song”. How was the experience like working with VERBAL?KAT: Verbal is awesome! He is so tal-ented and such a pleasure to work with!Well deserving the name his word play and his confidence as a performer taught me a lot. He wrote the lyrics to this song after I talked with him about what I wanted to say and we sang it in the studio together.

J!-ENT: You released a next E.P. titled “Journey to the heart” and what caught my attention with that E.P. was your cover of the popular folk song “Tsubasa wo Kudasai”. With two covers featured on your mini-

albums, will this be a theme for you in upcoming releases?KAT: I do enjoy singing covers and there’s a few songs that I am hoping to release one day in the future. People are always welcome to suggest covers to me and I might even do a youtube cover!

J!-ENT: You released your first album “Echoes over the ocean” in August and you became an official artist of the Association of Surfing Profes-sionals (ASP) and I read that the song “Sing All Night” was featured in a surf movie “VELVET-moa2”. I’ve always felt that surf /seaside vibe with your music at times but what was it like to have that tie-in to the surf culture and have you ever surfed before?KAT: I was given a surfboard when I was 14 and had many surfer friends in New Zealand so I’ve always been around the ocean. In a way living in Tokyo I thought I was going to have to give that up but I’ve been swept up

KAT performing live. Photo byTaka Yamanaka.

KAT - On the recording of “Nagoriyuki”:

“I wanted to make this song my own so

I tried all sorts of things. Reggae, punk versions and decided to go with

the reggae. Then I wrote an English version. Then

mixed it up. It was all trial but I found the

perfect version that I could call my own.”

KAT performing live. Photo byTaka Yamanaka.

J!-ENT interviews KAT

6 J!-ENT | DECEMBER 2009

in the surf scene here which has been amazing!!! How lucky am I to go surfing and play a gig on the same day!!

J!-ENT: For your new album, you had the opportunity to work with Simply Red member Yashiki Gota. How was that experience to work with such as well-known musician?KAT: He is super down to earth and it was a great experience to work with him. He and I have a similar vibe and experience of living in two countries so that made it easy to understand each other.

J!-ENT: How was the experience of working on “Echoes over the Ocean”? Was it a long process to record this album?KAT: Yes! Super long! Longer than I had expected but we were waiting for the album to come together and take shape. There were a few songs that didn’t make it.. but maybe we will re-lease them one day when I find a place for them. We experimented on a lot of things for this album and spent over two years recording a few songs here

and there. Next time I am going to record it all at once and spend longer time on pre-production. I will probably produce my next album so it was good to get all this great input from all these different producers and learn what I could from them.

J!-ENT: I’m curious…what is your favorite song on the album and why?KAT: Hmm.. to be completely honest.. I don’t really have the “one”. They were all favorite songs of mine at one point in time. I guess the song I enjoy singing the most right now is track one - “Bokuraniwa..” (Us..) but it might be because it’s the most recent. I’ve always liked “Thank you” and the ones I find myself playing the most at shows is “Sing all night” and “Sunadokei” (hourglass)

J!-ENT: You performed at the Sum-mer Sonic Music Festival. How was that experience?KAT: Yeah I played 2006 and 2007. It was awesome! I love summer festivals and it was such an honor to play there! It was pretty hot though! 36 degrees

(note: 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit) Sweat was dripping in to my eyes and I couldn’t wipe it off because I was play-ing guitar so I remember squinting a lot (laughing)

J!-ENT: What I enjoy about your mu-sic is that you’re a versatile artist who can pretty much perform worldwide. Are there any cities or countries that you would love to perform at?KAT: Oh so many! The first few places I would love to start gigging is Aus-tralia, New Zealand, Hawaii, California and Asia. The places closest to Japan I guess. But I would love to play just about anywhere. I am getting back in to writing more English songs again.

J!-ENT: What would be your dream collaboration? What artist, musician or producer would you love to work with?KAT: Oh you ask so many good ques-tions!! Hmm.. I REALLY want to work with Jon Foreman from Switchfoot, and Jason Mraz, another songwriter I really admire is John Rzeznik from Goo Goo Dolls. But honestly.. there’s just so

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J!-ENT interviews Kat McDowell

8 J!-ENT | DECEMBER 2009

many! And so many amazing Japanese artists too.

J!-ENT: You have a YouTube account and you seem pretty dedicated with the updates as well. In fact, I think online social media has been quite successful in getting your name and your music out there worldwide. Curious, do you do a lot of the filming and editing on the videos that show up on your YouTube channel?KAT: Yeah I basically do all of it. Lately, I haven’t been as good at keeping it up to date and now that I am getting more and more subscribers I guess I am con-stantly wanting to give them something better to watch. So I take a camera around with me, find interesting things to film.. try cover songs.. make my own music videos to songs and just try to have a bit of fun and show my personal side too. It’s really interactive and fun. I love YouTube!

J!-ENT: I saw the video when you went to San Diego. Now when you were in Southern California/America, was there any foods that you wanted to eat or places that you really want-ed to visit?KAT: I always wanted to visit the states so it was awesome to finally get there!!I ate a lot of Mexican food and was fascinated by the influence of Mexi-can culture in California and I missed driving!! But I was so nervous about driving on the right side and because I hadn’t driven a car the whole time I was in Japan I was so freaked out. I actually flew to San Diego so I wouldn’t have to drive in L.A. straight away. I’ll never do that I again. But I was on my own and knew hardly anyone in California. Just stayed on friend’s friends couches etc.. It was such an adventure for me!! So much fun!

J!-ENT: Did you do any surfing in San Diego?KAT: I got to go Surfing which was awesome! And see some of the music culture which was great too. More than anything when I go somewhere I’m not that fussed about being touristy. I would much rather hang with locals and see how they think, live their life. So. things like the supermarket really fascinated me. Strange huh?

J!-ENT: Outside of music, what other hobbies do you enjoy doing?

KAT: Surfing, dancing and sometimes cooking.

J!-ENT: If I had the chance to hang out with Kat McDowell for a day in Japan or New Zealand, what spot would you take me to and why?KAT: A day in New Zealand would defi-nitely be eating ice cream at a beach on a Summer’s day! In Japan, depending on where but if it was Tokyo or close to where I live, then I would take you to Shibuya to see the famous crossing

by Starbucks and take you out to eat and then a live show in Shimokitazawa where all the artsy people are.

J!-ENT: Have you ever sung your songs at a karaoke bar and have you ever received a perfect score?KAT: Yes although it was a long time ago and I don’t remember if we did the score thing. It did cross my mind to make a you tube video of me sing-ing my own karaoke song. It will be interesting to see what kind of movie

J!-ENT interviews Kat McDowell

DECEMBER 2009 | J!-ENT 9

scenes they’ve inserted. Lonely women holding umbrellas in the rain probably! But my friends have sent me photos of them singing my songs. I should get out more *sigh* (laughing).

J!-ENT: With Christmas coming up, what is Christmas in New Zealand and Christmas in Japan for you?KAT: Christmas in New Zealand is very different to Christmas in Japan. The key words for Christmas in New Zea-land are... beach, sun, family, food, presents, Jesus, church, summer BBQs.Christmas in Japan for the average Japanese person is winter, beauti-ful lights, strawberry shortcake, fried chicken, and a romantic evening with your lover.

J!-ENT: And I would assume that at a Christmas party with friends, you would bust out the guitar and sing Christmas carols? (laughing)KAT: Yes! and I try to learn Christmas carols for my Christmas shows but to be honest I don’t like a lot of Christmas songs but some of my favorites are the

Christmas song “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” and “O Holy Night”.

J!-ENT: If there is one word to de-scribe yourself, what word would that be and why?KAT: Friendly. Because I will go up and talk to just about anyone.

J!-ENT: For every interview, we have a section called “word play” which I give you five words and you give me your definition for those words:

LOVE:KAT: Is what made this world and humanity.

SUCCESS:KAT: Is to live every day with a smile on your face despite the circumstances.PAIN:KAT: Is what we need to know what joy is.

FAMILY:KAT: “Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family”.

NAGORIYUKI:KAT: Ironic Snow

J!-ENT: What final words do you have for your fans worldwide?KAT: That I can’t wait to start getting out more! I am so excited about the next album already and have started getting together songs for it. And plans to play shows overseas are start-ing to come together! Please message me if you want me to come somewhere and I will try my best to get there! I’ve got MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, a Face-book fan page and all those things, so I hope to learn more about you guys and hear your stories too! We can inspire each other!!

For more information on KAT, please visit her official website at:

http://www.katmusic.jp

http://www.myspace.com/katmcdowell

Also, visit her YouTube channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/katmcd0well

A m e r i c A n s f o r t h e A r t s . o r G

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grooveworldJ!-ENT

Echoes over the oceanKATBinyl RecordsAVCH-78003DURATION: 54:37RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2009

Format: Full Length Album

TRACKLIST:

1. 僕らには… 2. Sing all night 3. Apple of my eye 4. STOP 5. 砂時計 6. Save my life 7. Thank you 8. Sunset 9. Drive with me 10. S.O.S. -SAME OLD SONG- (feat. VERBAL) 11. 孤独な天使 12. Who am I 13. ナゴリユキ

A J!-ENT MUSIC REVIEW

The long awaited full-length album from KAT is here with “Echoes over the ocean”. The binyl records music artist has released two mini-albums, one EP and two CD singles so far in Japan but also has become an official artist for the Association of Surfing Professionals in Japan. And that surfing/beach theme is felt through the whole album. The album kicks off with “僕らには…”. An acoustic guitar driven track that is probably the first song I’ve seen with more Japanese lyrics than English from KAT. The second track “Sing all night..” is a fun, Summer-beach hop like track which fans can see a music video on YouTube of KAT performing live at various surf events. A fun, catchy track. The third track is “Apple of my eye”, a song featured from KAT’s second mini album “Journey of the Heart”. The fourth track “STOP” is KAT’s first official CD single from binyl records. Featuring an English track with some Japanese lyrics. A pretty solid acoustic guitar-driven rock track about wanting the person to stop playing with one’s heart. The fifth track “砂時計” is a song written by KAT and Kumiko Takashi and is an acoustic guitar driven track. Pretty much a mellow rock track. The sixth track on the album is “Save my life” and is probably one of my favorite tracks on the album. Featuring solid vocals, a solid arrangement and also an upbeat rock melody. A very awesome track! The seventh track on the album is “Thank You” featuring KAT collaborating with well-known lyricist Shoko Fujibayashi (who worked with BoA, DA PUMP, Ken Hirai and SOWELU). Another upbeat rock

< JUST WONDERFUL! A SOLID DEBUT ALBUM FROM KAT!

track with a really cool rick driven melody with this underlying piano playing in the background. Another favorite track that I enjoyed from the album. The eighth track “Sunset” features a jazzy vibe and features an all-English lyrics written by KAT. Definitely enjoy how the song transitions to an upbeat rock track. Also, I enjoyed the lyrics, very creative and poetic. The ninth track on the album is “Drive with me” and continuing the beach theme and features all English lyrics and a pretty cool upbeat, acoustic guitar driven track. The tenth track features KAT’s second single with a collaboration with m-flo’s VERBAL. A pretty groovy track featuring cool, hip vocals from KAT and as always, a smooth flow of rhymes from VERBAL. A pretty cool upbeat track. The eleventh track “孤独な天使” features another collaboration with writer Shoko Fujibayashi. Another solid track with a pretty cool arrangement and pretty cool vocals from KAT and cool harmony. Another solid track on the album! The twelfth track on the album is “Who

am I” featuring a collaboration with KAT and Shoko once again. What I enjoyed about this track is that it’s piano-driven and its different from all the other tracks which are guitar-driven. It’s great to see KAT utilizing the piano for this ballad. Awesome track! The final track on the album is KAT’s popular reggae cover of the folk song “Nagoriyuki” from her first mini-album. As for the CD insert, a beach theme featuring photos of KAT at the beach, along with surfers. Also, lyrics to the tracks on the album, production credits and bible passages. Overall, “Echoes over the ocean” is a wonderful album! With each release, we have gotten a little bit of something different from KAT but “Echoes over the ocean” is a solid representation of the artist featuring a variety of musical styles, creative lyrics and beautiful vocals. The album is quite musically diverse and everything comes together quite nicely. Definitely a solid album release. Highly recommended!

— DENNIS A. AMITH

DECEMBER 2009 | J!-ENT 11

Click here to purchase the album

grooveworldJ!-ENT

Journey to the heartKATBinyl RecordsAVCD-23787DURATION: 20:58RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2009

Format: Mini-Album

TRACKLIST:

1. Apple of my eye 2. Tsubasa wo Kudasai 3. Kono Machi de ~Let’s Start Again 4. Today 5. HOME ~Japanese ver.~

A J!-ENT MUSIC REVIEW

It has been nearly two years since I last reviewed Kat McDowell’s first mini-album KAT. So much has happened with the artist from being an official artist of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), having released a mini-album, an E.P. and two CD singles which included a collaboration with m-flo’s VERBAL. Lately, KAT has definitely been receiving worldwide attention as the vocalist has gone beyond what most music artist (in Japan) have done by establishing a social media presence and quite literally sharing her music to fans via YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. KAT returns with her second mini-album titled “Journey to the heart”. One thing that caught my attention with her first mini-album was her vocals and her songwriting ability. But along with her beautiful vocals and lyrics comes her ability to blend English and Japanese lyrics quite well. The results are similar to the first mini-album but where “Kat” had a rock presence (having come off with a more rock sound with her first E.P., “Rock’n roll boys club”), this time around, “Journey to the Heart” has a more free flowing, mellow rock style. The first track “Apple of my eye” features music and lyrics by KAT. A safe, upbeat and safe track featuring Kat singing in Japanese and English with the majority of the track in English with repetition of lyrics. The second track is an English play on the popular Japanese folk song “Tsubasa o Kudasai” (Please give me your wings). The song starts off in English and then transitions into Kat singing the song in Japanese.

< A MELLOWER SIDE TO KAT The third track is titled “Kono Machi de ~Let’s start again” featuring PHATE. The track features music and lyrics by Kazuya Fukuda. PHATE is a multicultural band in Japan that features a collaboration of non-Japanese artists producing music that combines alternative rock music with a taste of jazz. Of all tracks on the mini album, this track is featured almost all in Japanese and sung by both Kat and PHATE’s Kaleb (from Queens, NY). A pretty solid duet! The fourth track “Today” features is a ballad featuring words and music by KAT. A mellow track about giving your love to the person you love today and always. The fifth track is “HOME ~Japanese ver.~”. The original English version was featured on her first mini-album “Kat” but this time is featured with Japanese lyrics. As for the CD insert, the booklet features photos of Kat and the lyrics to the each track and a mini-flier for a

promotion of “Beach Girls Collection Vol. 2 and a plug for a performance by Arisa, KAT and other artists. Overall, “Journey to the heart” was a good mini-album and much more mellower than her past mini-album “Kat” and also compared to her past releases. There is no hint of that Avril Lavigne rocker style but that’s not a bad thing. If anything, I think she found her own style of music that she’s comfortable with and in a way, her music kind of reminds me of a Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz style and where acoustic guitar is the main instrument. Also, for an artist in Japan, to do that kind of style makes her standout compared to the many female vocalist in the country. She also continues the use of another folk song which was cool. But if anything, with two mini-albums, an E.P. and single releases, I look forward to her upcoming full-length album in August.

— DENNIS A. AMITH

12 J!-ENT | DECEMBER 2009

Click here to purchase the mini-album

grooveworldJ!-ENT

KatKat McDowellRhythm RepublicRRCD-85350DURATION: 20:52RELEASE DATE: May 9, 2007

Format: Mini-Album

TRACKLIST:

1. Butterfly 2. ナゴリユキ 3. Are you living? 4. REAL 5. Home

A J!-ENT MUSIC REVIEW

(Review from 2007): Kat McDowell is a musician based in Japan and similar to other hapa artists in Japan similar to other Avex Entertainment artists OLIVIA and ANNA TSUCHIYA and is from New Zealand. Her musical influences include Incubus, Switchfoot, Angie Stone, Goo Goo dolls, Sting and Maroon5 and she was inspired by Japanese singer Iruka who sung the famous folk song “Nagoriyuki” win which singers/songwriter covers in her latest mini-album “Kat” released by Avex’s independent label Rhythm REPUBLIC. As a talented singer/songwriter, Kat McDowell’s first mini-album is definitely a pleasing album that I really enjoyed listening to. With her covering “Nagoriyuki” which was chosen as iTunes Japan song of the week back in April 2007, a limited edition LP version of the song was released and sold out in two days and was top of the vinyl charts in Japan. “Kat” features a balance of rock/pop with each song featuring a balance of English and Japanese lyrics. The mini album kicks off with “Butterfly” which features vocals and music by Kat. Featuring a hybrid English/Japanese lyrics that describes a feeling of happiness (flying high) with the person you love. The second track is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album “Nagoriyuki” which is a classic folk song written by Shozo Ise and originally sung by Iruka, McDowell gives the song a good balance of Japanese and English lyrics. Overall, a beautifully sung track that is catchy and addictive. The third track “Are you living?” features a more rock driven track as the song utilizes more electric guitar and percussion. The track is primarily in English with some lines in Japanese and is a positive

< COOL VOCALS, CATCHY MUSIC AND A SOLID FIRST MINI-ALBUM FOR KAT MCDOWELL

song about moving forward and leaving any troubles from the past behind. The fourth track “REAL” is a mellower, rock track featuring music and lyrics by McDowell. The track is all-English and is about a person who tries to be someone else and the person who cares about them wanting them to be “real” and not fake. The fifth and final track “Home” is a slower tempo track featuring music and all-English lyrics by Kat. The song is about a person who will be at one’s side when they are in need and taking them home where they belong. Overall, “Kat” is a pretty solid mini-album debut for the Rhythm Republic artist. In a way, Kat McDowell’s music reminded me a little bit of classic BONNIE PINK but with a Bohemian or even surf-like vibe as the music features a utilization of acoustic guitar in combination with McDowell’s beautiful vocals and Japanese and English lyric usage in the music. But McDowell manages to have her own

style and showcase her musical style and songwriting which shines brightly on this album. Arrangement is typically McDowell on acoustic guitar and her band which are drums, bass and electric guitar. The songs definitely showcases McDowell’’s ability to sing in Japanese and English, showcase her songwriting talent and also guitar playing. Even more impressive is her vocals which is passionately beautiful and you embrace her music immediately. The CD insert includes the lyrics for the songs included on the mini-album and a letter of introduction by Fuku Ryuu of happy dragon, inc. Also, included is a mini-flier for upcoming binyl records releases. Overall, a solid mini-album and I definitely look forward to hearing more of Kat McDowell’s music and see how the label continues to promote her. Highly recommended!

— DENNIS A. AMITH

DECEMBER 2009 | J!-ENT 13

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