Kathi McDonald - Above and Beyond

Kathi McDonald

"Above and Beyond"

Merrimack Records

A long time ago in a california dive where Janis Joplin played now and
then, I heard Kathi McDonald for the first time. Like many who saw the
thin, intense blonde wail that night, I was blown away. Partly because
the sound guy was apparently deaf, and partly because of the blistering
energy Kathi put into her performance. Kathi was always pretty intense.

She got her big break in show biz when Ike Turner heard her singing in
the audience at a performance and invited her to join the Ikettes, his
backup vocalists. Not too many blondes became Ikettes. In 1974, Kathi attracted the attention of capitol Records which put out her first album, an astonishing debut, with guest appearances by Sly Stone, Neal Schon and other Bay Area music luminaries. I still get goosebumps listening to her wail on Willie Dixon's Insane Asylum. Later, Kathi moved to Seattle, where she became prominent in the Northwest
music scene. Her powerful chops are still in great demand and she has
appeared on more than 70 gold albums.

Above & Beyond is a marvelous display of vocal skills, polished and
ripened to near perfection. Backed up by ace organist, Brian Auger,
harmonicat Lee Oskar and some of Seattle's finest, Kathi belts her way
through a dozen songs, singing with the passion and fire that has been
her trademark all along. Auger matches McDonald's intensity with some
kick-ass solos that make me wonder why he hasn't been recording more
lately. If you're a B-3 fan, don't miss I Put A Spell On You and Season
Of The Witch.

Above & Beyond is on the tiny Merrimack label and you might not find it
at all record stores, but they have a website where you can sample a
couple of the tracks and get more information. The address is:
www.merrimackrecords.com

Norman Davis