Kim Richey is an artist you under estimate at your peril. There is little fanfare about her overseas ventures these days, but placed in front of her song writing spell for a couple of hours illuminates what career is behind her, and more pertinently, what lies ahead. The lasting impression from this return to the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham (a venue played solo and with Ben Glover in recent years) was not the catalogue of numbers that courted mainstream Nashville in the 90s and early 2000s, but a brace of songs lined up to be the next Kim Richey album. These, including an Aaron Lee Tasjan co-write, showed an acute ear for a prime melody still intact and ready to once again rumble. The coupling of simple subject and memorable melody has been the staple for many years. What has been successful in one context in the past can replicate in whatever sphere this East Nashville-based artist circulates in as we head into 2023.
This latest run of solo Kim Richey UK shows was underpinned by supporting her friend Gretchen Peters on a grander scale at the end of August/September. The good news is that the partnership will strike up again next spring with Gretchen's farewell tour. Whether or not spin off shows occur is a matter of wait and see, but hopefully news of the new album will be a lot further down the road.
Anyway back to the present and a hugely enjoyable journey down memory lane backed by a trail of insightful and amusing stories highlighting how well connected she has been over the years. Chuck Prophet, Doug Lancio and John Leventhal are just out there for starters. The best of Kim Richey transcends a whole career from 'Those Words We Said' gracing the first album to 'Chasing Wild Horses' bringing things right up to date in the new material field from 2018s EDGELAND.
The solo slot here formed of twin forty-five minute sets sounds formulaic on the surface, but the special essence of Kim Richey in effortless control was far from ordinary even in a venue noted for supporting artists from the ilk of Beth Nielsen Chapman to the local singer-songwriter embarking on a new journey. It was probably a grounded theory that Kim Richey was likely just doing what has come naturally for many years. No ego in sight, just an appreciation that folks still hook into her music after many years.
References to the Bluebird Cafe resonated here as she was in-the-round for my solitary visit to the iconic Nashville venue in 2016. The next time in Birmingham she will grace the stage of the elaborate Town Hall. Kim Richey can perform in any setting. The songs transcend the stage and remain as fresh and enticing today as ever. A thoroughbred international singer-songwriter bringing mainstream quality to a roots she has never forgotten.
