Kathy Mattea is the type/kind/caliber of country star that I usually wouldn’t write about on Songs:Illinois. But as the recording industry collapses all around us some country artists seem to have eschewed the Nashville sound and embraced the sound of real country; country rooted in the sounds of bluegrass, the Appalachian Mountains, and the hills of Virginia. I’m sure there are plenty of examples of this, but what comes to mind first is Patty Loveless’ excellent 1991 record Mountain Soul.
On Coal, Kathy Mattea’s new concept record written about both the personal and environmental costs of the rise and now fall of the coal mining industry, she embraces her bluegrass and celtic music roots. These songs about a destructive and dangerous industry are balanced by the fact that so many generations of families worked in and in some cases prospered from working the mines. There’s a bittersweet tug of war going on here, between the modern sense that this industry destroyed the environment (and the lungs of it’s workers) and the fact that the coal mines were a huge part of many people’s lives.
I think the song “The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore” is both a good example of this theme, as well as a great bluegrass inspired workout. Kathy Mattea will be playing the Old Town School Of Folk Music on April 19. Her new record is available as a pre-order here.
