KRB Press

As a rule I don’t really review older albums. But with a new EP coming in June I thought I’d make an exception for Kate Rogers’ 2008 album Beauregard. The Canadian-born Rogers had spent 8 years plying her trade in the UK before making the decision to return to her home and native land for this album. This record is not the stereotypical piano-playing woman record. Rogers has a far more diverse sound than someone like say, Tori Amos or Sarah McLachlan. Yes, there are some gorgeous vocal-focussed tracks like “Up Country”, but those are the exception rather than the rule. Instead you’re more likely to her bellowing rockers, country-tinged stomps, and smoky lounge numbers. Rogers is at her absolute best when she’s playing melodramatic noir music. Tracks like “54 Rounds” and “Not Okay” are simply engrossing. Having now heard her latest full length several times, I can’t help but be excited for the EP. Best tracks: “Safety Net”

We love the songwriting. We love the understated dignity of the live performance. We even love the YouTube video trails. Kate Rogers, indie rock darling, launches off a bedrock of cred. Following eight years on Grand Central Records, where she was a regular vocalist for artists like AIM and Rae & Christian, Kate decided it was time to bring it back to her home in Ontario, Canada. Following the critically acclaimed St Eustacia album and a recent stint singing with Toronto indie rockers The Coast, Kate and her band kick it up more than a few notches with the release of Beauregard. While never losing sight of her Folk heritage, Beauregard picks up the pace where St. Eustacia left off. With production by Toronto’s Chris Stringer and mixed by the venerable Michael Phillip Wojewoda, this album heralds a little extra pop and punch than earlier recordings, and in turn gives Kate’s affecting, soulful vocals room to roam.
Si Si Penaloza is the Editorial Director of WOMAN.ca

Vocal superiority matched quite beautifully by instrumentation in the most superlative way possible Bringing you her third album, but the first with her band, this teasing singer from Toronto along with the five other musicians include tracks that have an upbeat groove about them which leaves you wanting and begging for more. Within its eleven tracks lie a smorgasbord of radio-friendly, Americana-experimental and downright surreal tracks that make you scratch your head and nod your head in appreciation at the same time. With an opening few moments similar to a jamming session, Whippets seems as though Kate double-tracks her vocals at certain points, as Buddy Holly did, to great effect. With more than a hint of the gypsy band Oi Va Voi about this track, the use of the accordion and hand-slapping adds to this track’s atmosphere of radio friendliness and inventiveness. Stealing From You begins quite teasingly courtesy of some piano tinkling which is soon joined by jovial vocals that act as musical foreplay before this wall of harmonious and instrumental goodness hits you. Silent Movie is not a tune which allows the audience to wonder, as from its very first second it includes so much in a short duration you don’t really know what aspects to fully concentrate on and requires at least three or four hearings for its quality and overt beauty to fully penetrate the consciousness. With a hypnotic beginning, Feels Like Years is a candidate for the ideal driving song. Not for the likes of Route 66, but the frozen Canadian landscape at the height of winter. It has a feel-good element about it, but in an apprehensive way. A song that asks more questions than it answers which is always a good thing for music. Joining the ever-growing ranks of exceedingly good artists currently coming from Canada, I see no reason why this band wouldn’t be able to lead the way in showing the world the quality of Canadian music. If this prediction comes true, than that would surely be a situation to savour. RH Laura Bethell Maverick

Canadian women seeking fame and fortune through the English route. Charming on the outside but listen closely. [Similar artists: PJ Harvey, Beth Orton, Tori Amos]

Sometimes when you are stuck in airports watching time pass too slowly, and people move too quickly, whatever music you have playing gets lost somewhere between the stagnancy and constant motion. I spent the better part of my quick vacation sitting at gates, watching time crawl by and the stack of promos I loaded onto the IPOD Zune didn’t help the lethargy. But on one of my flights yesterday, I gave Kate Roger’s new record, Beauregard, an extended, focused listen and was duly impressed. She’s been doing well in Europe, but this Toronto based singer really has the chance to make a splash here on her home turf. The arrangements bounce from folk to jazz to roots and the range of sounds is impressive, but no matter what the melody, it’s her folksy voice that booms over top and makes it hard to focus on anything else. I realize that is something that can be said about tons of artists attempting to hit the same market, but Rogers brings something unique to the equation: energy. With the help of Chris Stringer’s production, the tracks are infused with the spikes you’d expect hearing his resume (he helped the D’Ubervilles and the Coast really deliver big records as well). She doesn’t want to be the warm sweater or trusty blanket you reach for out of habit. Kate wants to challenge and surprise the listener. And that’s just it. Too often we let things blend into the beige and forget that music should energize us. I’m not trying to make Rogers into something she’s not. She’s got a beautiful voice, one that fans of folk pop or the soundtrack to Grey’s Anatomy will really enjoy (as Lying Loveless and the playful horns and choir vocals on Go proves), but the static that runs through Wowbox, the warble filled Whippets and the hints of rock and reggae on Safety Net she shows that there is more to her sound than you’d expect. She offers up a more realistic perspective – like when she hits back on a lover (“you’re so fucking miserable“) – and even when the record stumbles, you still want to hear what comes next.

After releasing an album of alt-rock covers in 2005, Toronto’s Kate Rogers returns with a clutch of originals penned with co-writer Matthew Bannister. On the disc, produced by Chris Stringer (the D’Urbervilles, the Coast), Rogers’ rich voice exudes a folksy confidence that’s mostly put to good use, with the exception of a jarring heavily filtered trip-hop bridge stuck in the middle of Whippets. But generally it works, and Togers really hits her creative stride on Stealing From You, on which she sounds like a rockier Sarah Slean.

Considering what has gone before in Kate Roger’s life, it might not be immediately obvious what musical pathway she has decided to follow. Born on a farm outside Toronto, she attended the Royal Conservatory of Music for seven years before abandoning her classical training and embracing a huge number of other influences. The list is so diverse it includes bluegrass, reggae and hip-hop, yet she also spent time following around the likes of the Grateful Dead and Phish on tour. Her recording career began with providing vocals for Grand Central artists Rae & Christian and Aim, yet her debut album might come as a bit of a surprise. It is hard to write about St. Eustacia without mentioning Beth Orton or Dido because those are the easiest comparisons, yet Rogers very much has her own identity thanks to strength in both her voice and her songwriting. Considering this is a Grand Central release, St. Eustacia is remarkably laid-back and beat-free. From the majesty of the wonderful “Mighty” to the acoustic sparseness and beauty of “Joan,” Rogers has a real knack for writing songs that pull in the listener and that is true for the entire album. This is a very impressive debut that demonstrates that Rogers is no longer just a guest vocalist. (Grand Central)

Raised on an isolated farm in Canada, Kate Rogers probably isn’t used to crowded places. But boasting affecting, folkish-tinged vocals, ‘St. Eustacia’ parachutes her right among the Dido’s and Beth Ortons of this world. Fortunately, thanks to her emotional range, she still manages to shine. ‘Not Ten Years Ago’ casts her as a wronged avenger, while the spacey guitars of ‘Odyssey’ reveal a more fragile side. With shifting instrumentation – from simple pianos to Arabian-infected beats – reflecting her changing moods, the likes of the rousing title track suggests she won’t simply be fading into the crowd.

Growing up on a country farm near Toronto, Kate Rogers often found herself twiddling her thumbs. She turned to music and art as a way to entertain herself (“I had on brother, but back then he was just into fighting,” laughs Kate, “so I used to retreat to my room to sing and draw.”) and eventually took lessons in classical singing in her early teens. “I started singing from the moment I could open my mouth, I always mimicked people,” she recalls. Who, CityLife enquires. “Oh, God,” she laughs, “I can’t admit that! Well, when I was six or seven, we had these big speakers and I used to put Abba on and lie on top of the speakers and just soak it in. I probably did terrible damage to myself.” Raised on John Denver and north American folk music, Kate discovered rock in her early teens and took up guitar. She dabbled with teh fashion industry as a career but was talked back into music by her cousin, Mark Rae, who set up Manchester record label Grand Central. “I used to follow bands around and I made clothes and jewelery on the road just to make money. “There was a lot of time in music where I felt I was jumping into a big hole and I didn’t know where it was gonna go. But now, after working and touring in different countries, it feels good to have that goal and I’m not under any illusions about what’s possible for me – there’s no dream of superstardom.” Kate’s back in Manchester with her band to play Dpercussion, a festival she’s regularly attended as a spectator. “There’s a lot of nurturing between Canada and the UK in terms of what’s going on in music. Every time I’ve played here, they’ve been so welcoming. Britain is looked at musically as a very special place.”

For a Canadian, Kate Rogers has the contemporary Bristish female vocalist act down pat. Sounding remarkable like a jazzier Dido, Rogers pours out her heart on swingy tracks like “Not Ten Years Ago” and “Sidelines,” though the dark “Nothing Appeals To Me Here, ” with its Eastern feel, is slightly out of place among her lighter tunes. Rogers shows her weak side on “Mighty,” pleading for the return of a lost lover while a delicate piano line adds to the background folk melodies. Like a candy apple with hidden razor blades, this chanteuse sounds remarkably innocent until you notice the sharp edges. – CH

Having lent vocal lustre to albums by Aim & Rae & Christian, the Canadian singer Kate Rogers steps up to the plate this month with a small gem of a solo album, ‘St. Eustacia’ (released by Grand Central). A deft lyrical touch – “lately, I’ve been looking forward to meeting the rest of you” – is but one of her gifts; above all, though, is Rogers’ wonderful voice that moves the album from the ‘mildly diverting” pile to the one marked “slow-burning but ultimately outstanding”. Flecked with blues, roots, jazz and country, her songwriting too, shows why it is high time she moves out of the shadows. ‘St. Eustacia is one of those records that will soundtrack events that are memories in the making, could we but know it.’

It’s baffleing that Dido should have made a planet-eating virtue out of chronic musical anaemia considering that there’s plenty of lady singer-songwriters about who do similar but with edge, charisma and soul. People like Canada’s Kate Rogers. Tempted to the UK by northern hip-hoppers Grand Central, Kate’s vocal on Aim’s legendary tearjerker ‘Sail’ made the names of both artists and, to some extent, the label itself. They rewarded her with a solo deal, and while ‘St. Eustacia’ glows with the same kooky charm, she’s a far more rustic proposition alone. Teeming with log-cabin guitars and eerie percussion, the whole thing is imbued with an innocence that means the songs of love gone right (‘Welcome’) and wrong (‘Not Ten Years Ago’_ sound more directed to best friends than to lovers. Meanwhile, Kate’s sharp Canadian vowels make the whole thing exotic enough to stay enchanting. No rock’n'roll fun here, but planty to cuddle up to. Dan Martin

She has lent her voice to the likes of label-mate Aim, but Canadian chanteuse Kate Rogers has finally released a record in her own right. And what a record. St. Eustacia would be little more than an average collection of polished folk-pop, were it not for a couple of extraordinary off-beat arrangements, including the cinematic “Nothing Appeals To Me Here”. Rogers sets her emotionally raw lyrics against pared-down guitars, piano and the odd electronic bear. A stunning debut. Henrietta Roussoulis

She has lent her voice to the likes of label-mate Aim, but Canadian chanteuse Kate Rogers has finally released a record in her own right. And what a record. St. Eustacia would be little more than an average collection of polished folk-pop, were it not for a couple of extraordinary off-beat arrangements, including the cinematic “Nothing Appeals To Me Here”. Rogers sets her emotionally raw lyrics against pared-down guitars, piano and the odd electronic bear. A stunning debut. Henrietta Roussoulis

Grand Central has always had an embarrassment of riches when it comes to female vocalists, with both Veba and Kate Rogers soaring over their beats, and finally one has released an album in her own right. Kate is best know for tracks like Aim’s ‘the Girl That Fell Through Th Ice’ and Rae & Christian’s ‘Not Just Anybody’, but left to her own devices, she ploughs an angsty melancolic folk furrow. Initially perfectly pleasant, over time St. Eustacia reveals its more endearing nuances, through more off-kilter moments like ‘Nothing Appeals To Me Here’. Could it be that while all the majors were out searching for the new Dido Grand Central tripped over her on their own doorstep? (LB)

Rogers’ pure, clear vocals have graced tracks by Aim and Rae & Christian, but her true calling is a fine singer-songwriter in the classic style. On numerous tracks here, her sophisticated folk-influenced pop explores emotional landscapes with controlled power, and little concession to fashion. MUSIC WEEK

Pared-down rock and haunting electronica from singer touted as the femal Ben Harper. WORD MAGAZINE

Combing folk roots with a CV in electronica (as the singer with Rae & Christian), Rogers is the Canadian answer to Dido. The opening track ‘Welcome’ could be straight off ‘No Angel’. But as her debut album unfolds, Rogers finds her own gracefully poised voice. The piano and guitar arrangements are simple yet often stunningly beautiful, especially on ‘Mighty’ and the title track.

Saturday marks the end of an era in this town with the closing of The Staircase Theatre and Cafe. But the folks a thte little venue that could are going to be celebrating it in pretty much the same way they have every other night during the past few years – with top-notch live entertainment. The Staircase has always been the round hole for the square pegs of this world, providing shelter to artists who really didn’t fit well into other places. Unfortunately, it became too much of a weight for the proprietors of The Staircase to bear. So, after hosting more than 3,000 events in their funky little place on Dendurn North, Kathy Garneau and Hugh MacLeod are calling it quits to spend more time with their two young children. The final night’s entertainment was booked before they decided to close the building, so it’s a pretty good representation of the kind of talent The Staircase has been drawing over the years. Up front in The Staircase Cafe there’s Kate Rogers, a singer-songwriter who’s better known in England – where she has earned rave reviews in The Times of London and NME magazine – than in her native Ontario. Originally from a farm near Barrie, Rogers went to England a few years ago to help her cousin start up a new music label called Grand Central Records in Manchester. She had received classical voice training during her school years growing up in Kettleby and she was quickly put to work singing lead vocals for an urban dance group called Aim. The group had a minor English his with a song called ‘Sail’, selling some 150,000 copies – a feat that would register platinum in Canada. Rogers toured up adn down Britain with Aim but still considered Ontario her home, commuting back and forth, keeping an apartment in Toronto and crashing with friends in Manchester during her English stays. She went home and wrote a pile of songs with her Canadian partner Matthew Bannister, a guitarist and keyboard player she met while attending the University of British Columbia. They found some like-minded musicians and recorded in Toronto’s Chemical Sound studios, then took the tracks back to Manchester for mixing. Graham Rockingham – The Hamilton Spectator

Canada is the new hot place at the moment, and I don’t mean because of the weather. It seems to be producing a plethora of quality artists. Oh Susanna, Kathleen Edwards, the Be Good Tanyas, Vanessa Carlton, the list goes on….Canadian singer/songwriter Kate Rogers used to be the vocalist with Aim and her vocals were heard on dance duo Rae & Christian’s ‘Not Just Anybody’. However, she’s now emerging as a solo artist: ‘I’ve found my roots,” she told me last week after her impressive showcase at the tiny Arts Cafe in Aldgate. Kate was doing unplugged versions of tracks from her forthcoming album St Eustacia. ‘Not Ten Years Ago’ shows the warmth in her voice and her considerable talent as a songwriter. She’s like a younger Nathalie Merchant. ‘The Apology’ is the kind of song Dido would write if she wasn’t permanently stuck in coffee table mode and ‘Nothing Appeals To Me Here’ is an extraordinarily atmospheric, gothic folk opus. Kate’s influenced by the likes of the aforementioned Be Good Tanyas, Gillian Welch and Nina Simone. She has that depth of emotion that Beth Orton possesses and songs that rival the best of Kristin Hersh. She’s only done a handful of gigs as a solo artist but already is a mesmerising performer. Full band shows are promised for next year.