Kate Wolf - Poet's Heart
Kate Wolf
Poet's Heart
1985
Thanks to fans’ support of Our Kickstarter campaign, Poet’s Heart is back in Print
Kate's Final Studio Album
Awarded 1986 Best Folk Album by NAIRD.
Tracks
Listen to 1-minute clips here or full songs on YouTube and Spotify.
Musicians
Kate Wolf lead vocals, guitar, piano
Mike Auldridge dobro, steel guitar
Nina Gerber guitar, harmonica
Bill Griffin mandolin, Fender bass
David Keif acoustic bass
Tom Lee acoustic bass
Peggy Nageotte harmony vocal
Kim Robertson Celtic harp
Phil Salazar fiddle
Alan Thornhill vocals, guitar
Beth Weil harmony vocal
Max Wolf percussion
Martin Young guitar
Mike Auldridge courtesy of Sugar Hill Records
Credits
Produced by: Bill Griffin & Kate Wolf
Musical arrangements: Bill Griffin
Engineered by Daniel Protheroe
Recorded at Santa Barbara Sound Recording, Santa Barbara, California, February through May 1985
Additional recording by Bill McElroy at Bias Recording, Springfield, Virginia and by Oliver DiCicco at Mobius Music, San Francisco, California
Mastered by Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, California
Photography: Victor Budnik
Album Design: Elizabeth Weil
Proofreading: Terry Fowler
Release History
1985 Kaleidoscope Records F-24
1994 Rhino Records 71484
2020 Owl Records OWL-011
Thanks:
- to all the poets and friends whose words and thoughts appear in these songs - especially Eric Bogle, Utah Phillips, Luke Breit, Judy Mayhan, Doug Boyd and the late Stan Rogers
- to Bill & Daniel for not letting go of the vision and for all the hours they spent working for love
- to Martin, Alan, Mike, Beth, Kim, Nina, Max and all the musicians who made this music come alive
- to Victor and Diane whose generosity and good humor made the photo sessions fun
- to Hannah who is so open with her heart and her life
- to Terry for sharing the dream and mastering the learn-as-you-go method of single parenthood while I was away
We live in a world torn between wanting to listen to the sound of a flower growing and wanting to ignore the sound of the sky falling. By sometimes being sensitive enough to the first process we acquire the energy necessary to prevent the second.
- Author unknown
Review
Weekend Magazine
February 21, 1986
San Francisco's Wolf sings with an unhurried sureness that indicates a keen understanding of life's tolls as well as its rewards. Her songwriting patiently sketches in characters, landscapes and leisurely melodies without ever forcing anything. As the elements in her songs slowly drop into place, they give a reassuring sense of acceptance without submission.
Her new album contains nine new original songs. Sometimes her lyrics get a bit vague and overly wholesome, but at their best they encapsulate a whole life in the image of a deserted house, a jewelry box or a handsewn pillow. The relaxed, restrained string-band arrangements are perfect for the reflective ballads. The two standout songs are "Slender Thread" and "In China or a Woman's Heart," each of which traces the history of a marriage with remarkable completeness.