Full Review

Kate Vogel, The Grave Review

Kate Vogel is a vocalist and songwriter, not afraid to show her emotions and experiences in her music. She turns tragedy into musical muses that lead to impactful songs and lyrics. She fell in love with storytelling lyrics at an early age. The deep lyric weight of showtunes were first, but as she came of age, her ears latched onto everything from Dolly Parton to Whitney Houston. At the tender age of sixteen, Vogel relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, and began co-writing, performing, and recording her first record. Not unlike many women before her, Vogel’s ambitions came to an abrupt halt when she fell victim to a predator in the industry, and subsequently stopped singing for 9 years. Thankfully, time, and the power of music has allowed her to turn the experience into a collection of songs – music for survivors, created by a survivor. Her debut single, “Reasons to Stay,” is an intimate ballad born from her trauma and experience with suicide. Vogel’s style is a lovely mix of exposed singer-songwriter lyrics with a strong pop tuneful focus. Vogel is now releasing her second single titled, “The Grave,” which is about the funeral of her best friend who died tragically in a car crash. The lyrics and energy are filled with a deep pain that accompanies tragic loss.

Positives: Vogel’s voice is warm and pure, full of emotion, and lyrical clarity.

Bottom Line: “The Grave” is filled with Vogel’s passionate vocal style that mixes pop and Americana, all developed with the slightest country overtone. The acoustic instrumentation sets the mood for the powerful lyrics. She has been working with Chase Coy, a Nashville-based pop producer and Tyler Fortier, an Oregon-based producer. The wonderful pedal steel is the perfect color to share the melodic space with Vogel’s voice. The true attention-grabbing element of Vogel’s music is her sincere lyrics. Each phrase comes across as a significant and essential need to express the emotions being conveyed. The lyrics deal with finding purpose in life after tragedy. Vogel’s vocal ability to pull the listener into her musical world is something special. The vocal harmonies are balanced and are presented in multiple layers adding fullness and an ethereal quality. Also, all the various vocal parts further display Vogel’s vocal abilities, range, timbre control and talent. She is certainly one to watch, and that’s the short of it!