Walk On

Kellie Coffey

Duet Inc., 2007

http://www.kelliecoffey.com

REVIEW BY: Elizabeth Crowder

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 10/05/2007

Sometimes taking time off is a good thing.

Kellie Coffey is best known for her 2002 hit "When You Lie Next To Me," a powerful ballad of strength in a relationship. Her personal struggles have been brought to the forefront in her new album, Walk On, where Coffey opens up about infertility, love and resilience.

One would assume that after years of dealing with pain and heartache a person would begin blaming others, but this album proves that one indeed can walk on past all of that to gain a better future.

This album is enticing because Coffey displays a coquettish attitude with a touch of irony with some of her songs. "When Pigs Fly" is a tongue-in-cheek love song that states all that will be -- when pigs fly. At the same time, Dan Tyminski of Union Station my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 (O Brother, Where Art Thou) lends backing vocals on the bluegrass "Bandwagon," which talks of the constant desire to have what everyone else has, from designer bags to better cell phones. "Everything She Never Wanted" compares the life a woman thought she wanted verses the homemaker reality she now holds. "It's nothing like her dream / She's nothing like she thought she'd be / Oh, but there's nothin' she would change." No regret or despair at missing the corporate climbing, as her checkered apron and picket fence give her more than she imagined. 

That attitude of hope and optimism is why I appreciate this album. The first single, "I Would Die For That," is a beautiful ballad of the pain experienced during infertility. Coffey and her husband, songwriter Geoff Koch, dealt with years of miscarriages before finally having their son, Jackson, in 2005. About this song, Coffey says, "The lyrics of the song 'I Would Die For That' still echo and feel real each time I sing the song. Now when I sing it, it’s filled less with a haunting personal desperation and more with a complete understanding and empathy for the women who are still on that journey and have endured far more pain than I have."YouTube had over 85,000 hits in about 5 weeks on the music video for this song without any advertising (http://www.youtube.com/kelliecoffey).

Her voice is so clear and resonating that even on songs with a lighter background, such as "Everywhere" (the only track Coffey did not write on Walk On)  and "Strong Enough To Cry", one can hear the heart behind the music. Further proof of that talent is "There You Go Again," which was cut in one take after Coffey and co-writer/producer Wayne Kirkpatrick wrote the song. The simple piano and vocal track was so powerful they chose to keep that demo and simply overlay a gorgeous string quartet background. The result is so pure and understated, for a song about watching someone leave you, but shows that sometimes quiet moments of pain are more important than the screaming and crying.

This album will make you think, feel, and imagine life in a different way while gathering the strength to Walk On.

Rating: A

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


Comments

 








© 2007 Elizabeth Crowder and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Duet Inc., and is used for informational purposes only.