Americana, queer artist Keturah Allgood drops her debut album, Shine, a stirring new album and her first release in 17 years via Charlotte Avenue Entertainment.
“I love to express the importance of kindness and compassion,” the Brevard, North Carolina native says. “I feel like it is insanely important, especially in today’s toxic and divisive climate, to promote as much love as you can.”
Growing up in Brevard, Allgood listened to bluegrass, country, and gospel – the roots of what is now referred to as Americana.
“As soon as I could talk, I started singing, and as soon as I could reach the keys on the piano, I started playing,” she recalls. “When I was a toddler, I would put on my dad’s cowboy boots and cowboy hat, round up my classmates at preschool, and make them all sit and listen to me sing ‘Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,’ I knew then and there I wanted to make music my career.”
In 2003, she released an album under the name of Kristin and Keturah, a duo; followed by 2006’s solo effort, Whole Lot of Grey. As she became involved in other projects, her ex-wife’s mental health problems obliged her to put music on the back burner.
Fortunately, music managed to help her regain a desperately needed fresh start. She was able to reveal herself with honesty and integrity. And with that, the idea for Shine was born.
Encompassing a dozen tracks, Shine begins with “Radio,” opening on country flavors merged with hints of bluesy gospel. Nuanced and cambered by delicious round tones, Allgood’s voice gives the lyrics vibrant passion.
Entry points include “Down The Line,” a creamy Americana tune highlighted by a gently crying violin and sparkling piano. The feel and mood of the song are at once wistful and expectant, rippling with charm and tints of sad elegance.
A personal favorite because of its floating beauty, “Butterfly Wings” flows like silky filaments on a gentle breeze as Allgood’s resonant, crystalline vocals imbue the lyrics with nostalgia and yearning desire. Whereas “Little Girl,” reveals the range and luscious allure of Allgood’s exquisite voice.
Tender and drenched in soft, shimmering colors, “Rosary Beads” lies somewhere between a prayer and a hymn and is oh-so-beautiful, gliding and drifting on gossamer textures.
Talking about “Rosary Beads,” Allgood says, “This song was written in my cabin on my farm where I was living at the time. It was a snowy day and everything outside was beautiful and peaceful. I closed my eyes and this song unfolded like a movie. I could see a young man driving down a southwestern highway with rosary beads hanging on his rearview mirror. He was grappling with his childhood memories which were beautiful, while also trying to come to grips with his current reality, the result of trauma from war and from pain. The movie in my head was beautiful and tragic all at the same time.”
Simultaneously intimate and full of hues of passion, Shine does just that – shines a glorious light of musical enchantment.
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Tour Dates:
8/28 – URSA Live (live stream) [7 pm EST]
8/30 – Nashville, TN – Bluebird Cafe (Charlotte Ave Ent)
9/02 – Brevard, NC – Transylvania Farmer’s Market
9/03 – Rosman, NC – Headwaters (Forks of the River)
9/14 – Glenville, NC – The Local
9/15 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley (WMOT Finally Friday)
9/16 – Brevard, NC – Duckpond Pottery
9/19 – Nashville, TN – Jaan’s House
9/21 – Nashville, TN – Eighth Room (Interstate 88)
9/30 – Knoxville, TN – WDVX Blue Plate Special (12 pm)
9/30 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle (Patio)
10/2 – Hendersonville, NC – The 2nd Act
10/6 – Tuckasegee, NC – Bear Lake Reserve
10/21 – Brevard, NC – Transylvania Farmer’s Market