Christine Kane
Rain and Mud and Wild and Green

(Big Fat Music)

First Appeared at The Music Box, May 2002, Volume 9, #5

Written by John Metzger

Christine Kane couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate title for her fourth album. After all, Rain and Mud and Wild and Green conjures the type of earthy, organic imagery that suits her perfectly. Throughout the album, Kane mixes acoustic guitar with pedal steel and banjo (courtesy of famed session player Larry Campbell) to form melodies that are at once warm and familiar. Lyrically, she addresses everything from environmental activism (Everything Green) to the objectification of women ([No Such Thing as] Girls Like That) — sometimes playing the keen observer, sometimes revealing something deeply personal. In other words, like her Canadian counterpart Sarah Harmer, Kane updates the hippie-folk style of Joni Mitchell for a new generation, creating something timeless in the process. ½

Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2002 The Music Box