Kathryn Rose Wood and Alfred Banks share some heartfelt tales in “Hurt / Heal” [TWIB Premiere]
Emerging New Orleans singer/songwriter Kathryn Rose Wood grew up in a conservatively-catholic family but at an early age, she found music as a way of expressing her true self. She slowly developed her craft as years went on and fronted three different bands, a New Orleans-based RnB/Pop quintet, a seven-piece rock/blues band, and a Pennsylvania-bred ska/fusion group which served as the foundation of her career. In 2017, she went solo and debuted the heartfelt album “In The Ashes”, which was dedicated to her late brother. This was followed by several stage performances at different events and festivals and she garnered a lot of buzz and simultaneously afforded Kathryn to channel her professional background as a music therapist into musically-influenced outreach work across music and mental health programming platforms.
Her latest effort titled “Hurt / Heal” sees her back in form as she effortlessly blends jazz, R&B, and soul with hip-hop with the help of Chicago producer-phenom Julius Tucker. The song is as poignant as they come and sees the singer reflecting on her journey of coping and managing inner trauma in her own way. Bolstered by Tucker’s fluid and cinematic backdrop, Kathryn delivers a gripping melodic run ripe with fluctuating cadences and of course evocative lyrics that listeners can appreciate. She is also joined by fellow New Orleans-based rapper and mental health advocate, Alfred Banks, who shares his own experiences and implores us to stay the course and not give in to the doldrums.
In summary, the record is much needed in these times and hopefully, the positive and encouraging message within will help many people get over their personal hurdles, one step at a time and it’s just in time for September’s designation of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
Stream “Hurt / Heal” on Spotify.
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