Kitty Wells Dresses: Songs Of The Queen Of Country Music is the fifth full-length from New York City singer/songwriter Laura Cantrell, and as you probably deduced from the album’s title, the LP pays tribute to country music’s first female star. Cantrell recorded the 10-track record in Nashville, the city where both she and Wells were born. Aside from covering some of Wells’ most loved songs, Cantrell kicks off the album with the title track, a song she co-wrote with Amy Allison. Cantrell will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. We recently caught up with her via email.
“Kitty Wells Dresses” (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/KittyWellsDresses.mp3
MAGNET: Would you consider doing more albums honoring country-music women from the past?
Cantrell: I would love to be able to do other projects involving the music of women artists I admire. I’ve got several ideas: Molly O’Day, the women of the Grand Ole Opry, etc. It would be great to do some kind of series.
What was it like recording the Kitty Wells album in Nashville, hometown of both of you? How did you assemble the band you worked with? What was the recording process like, and how did it differ from your previous records?
I loved recording in Nashville. It was different that recording in N.Y. in a few ways. First of all, I knew that there were many musicians playing in Nashville that are plugged into the history of country music and would instinctively understand my approach—keeping it old school without making “faux-antique” versions of Kitty’s songs. The pool of people in New York who have those chops and instincts is smaller. I also got the opportunity to play with many musicians who’ve become friends over the years: Paul Burch, Chris Scruggs, William Tyler, Paul Niehaus of Lambchop. It was really sweet to work with them while being introduced to the very talented Ben Hall, Billy Contreras and Caitlin Rose. Total fun! While there are home studios everywhere and I’ve recorded in several in NYC, working at Beech House in Nashville was great—sunny, you could see out the windows and feel the daylight all the while recording in a very good sounding room with great gear. The quality of Beech House and Mark Nevers’ technical skills made everything feel easy and straightforward. We recorded all the music in a few afternoons, and I took it back to New York with me to get final vocals, etc. The process was sort of an outgrowth of how I’ve worked on my previous records, but with my delight at playing Kitty’s music and wanting to represent it honorably driving the process.
Your only original song on the album is “Kitty Wells Dresses.” What were you and co-writer Amy Allison trying to accomplish with that song? A sort of introduction to Kitty for those who might not know who she is?
Amy and I were using the image of Kitty’s dress, seemingly simple and sort of homespun looking, to describe how Wells’ music has been underestimated over the years. The song isn’t a biography that really tells her story, but a series of images of the women who were around in the 1950s who, like Kitty, were these amazing singers, players and crafts people whose artistry was appreciated in its day but is now taken for granted. I wanted to convey that there was a real power kind of tucked into the girly images that people still seem to dismiss. Kitty was the dominant commercial success of her day and really called “The Queen of Country Music,” and we were playing a bit with the idea of her being of humble persona but royal importance.
Did you grow to have more respect for Kitty after tackling all of these songs she recorded? Has the way you view the songs changed after being so up-close-and-personal with them?
Well, what really came across to me picking songs from different eras and looking at her whole body of work is how ambitious she must have been as an artist. You just can’t make that much music by accident! The steel it took to make that music and then travel and perform like she did until she was 80 years old, all the while raising and caring for a family, must have been intense. I would say I have more respect for her after doing this project.
What do you think of the current state of country music?
You know, I get asked this question from time to time, and I’m always curious if the point of this question is to collectively bemoan the “uncoolness” of current country. I think there are a lot of interesting artists out there across the board: mainstream, singer/songwriters, folk, “alt” or Americana, whatever you want to call it. Country music has always been a shifting/changing form, and it is still very interesting to me.
You were in Bricks with Mac McCaughan of Superchunk and Merge Records back in your late-’80s period at Columbia University. Any good stories from back in the day? Did you think the two of you would ever be doing music as a career these many years later? Any chance of a Bricks reunion?
Hmmm, Bricks reunion? Maybe at the Merge 30th anniversary! I think the last one was at Merge’s fifth birthday party. I do think it is hilarious that some of my first real performing experiences were in Bricks opening for the Swans at Barnard, HP Zinker at CBs Gallery or Fugazi in D.C. I don’t think anyone who saw those shows would have said, “Yes, she’ll be making Kitty Wells records someday!”
Have you lived in NYC since college? What do you think about how the city has changed since then? Where are you living these days?
I have lived in N.Y. for my whole adult life. The constant gentrification of NYC was already apparent when I came for college in the mid-’80s. It just shifts from one development zone to the next it seems. I now live in Jackson Heights, a multi-ethnic, multi-income-level neighborhood in Queens. One thing that is constant about NYC is that energy of so many people from diverse backgrounds living in close proximity. It is a vibrant place to be.
How has motherhood impacted your career?
Motherhood affects everything: what you do, how you see yourself, your schedule. I definitely traveled a lot more for music before I had my daughter, but she’s been very game. Recently, she was my merch person at a house concert, and having a cute kid plugging your product doesn’t hurt! But really, no matter what kind of career you have, finding balance with the time and energy it takes to raise a child is a challenge. I also remind myself that you get something back from having a child as well, a sort of expansion of your emotions that is always good for writing songs!
Do you have plans to record an album of original material any time soon?
I have a lot of songs (for me) ready to go. We’re just making recording plans now.
What do you have going on for the rest of 2011?
We have a handful of Southern gigs in early August, and I’ll be doing shows in NY and the Northeast in the fall and recording later this year.
—Eric T. Miller
