• Band / Artist : Katie Todd – mySpace
• Genre : Pop / Powerpop
• Sample Track Download : N/A
• Buy CD : CD Baby
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 9 out of 10

Overlooked. Falling through cracks. You’ve heard it all before. I never said I was perfect, but hopefully some of the gems I manage to uncover, make up for my occasional tardiness. The Katie Todd Band has been languishing in the Indie Launchpad pile for a while. I have to admit, I actually thought I’d already reviewed it. I was playing the album on my Pocket PC, confident that this was one of the great album I’d covered, when I had that thunderbolt of uncertainty. Sure enough, when I got back to my computer, I found that I hadn’t in fact got around to putting fingers to keys.

This 11 track CD has a very tight feel to it. The music is flawless, but again I was captivated upon Katie uttering the first word. Admittedly whilst I find Katie’s voice amazing, it wouldn’t be half as effective were it not for the music itself and the musicians who provide her great backup.

“Face Down” starts with a very 70’s guitar feel to it and some great understated piano. Katie’s voice has a wonderful, sexy, very sensual feel to it I don’t have her bio in front of me, by I can detect the merest hint of a Scottish accent. I’m probably totally wrong, but I’d be surprised if she didn;t have some Scottish/Celtic in her family. “Leave” is one of my firm favorites on the album. It has a great jaunty, rock feel to it, that is almost infectious. However it’s when you get to the chorus that Katie’s voice soars. “Figure it Out” is one of the tracks that gives me deja vu. It’s a much darker track, but again, the vocals manage to stop it drowning in despair. “In and Around” draws you in with it’s infectious music and just goes to reinforce the album as a whole.”Kweller” is a bit of an odd one for me, with it’s jangly, almost folk sound. A nice track, but just not in keeping with the rest of the album.

The second half of the album begins with “Wonder Woman”. I absolutely love this track. It reminds me greatly of one of my favorite female vocalists, Sam Brown. It’s again a darker track, but still manages to flow with the rest of the CD. “Player” makes a fast about turn and while it’s a nice track, it feels very much like a filler song. “You Hide it Well” again has that Sam Brown feel to it, with husky, smoky vocals. It’s a track that eases towards the end of the album very nicely. “Oz” again feels like a bit of an odd one, nice track, but nothing to really pull out as exceptional. “Jake’s Song” again showcases Katie’s voice and leads into the final track nicely. “This Time” finishes the album off with a relaxed track, featuring some great whimsical piano.

Conclusion : A wonderful voice, wonderful music and stellar cast of supporting musicians. I’m really hoping to hear much more of Katie and herb and over the coming year and will be doing some active digging to find out when to expect some new material.