Kat Riggins

Kat Riggins Releases Her New Album Cry Out

By Kevin Wildman Out now on Mike Zito’s Gulf Coast Records is the new album by Kat Riggins. In fact, it is her debut album on this label. The new album is called Cry Out, and contains thirteen of the most powerful songs a female artist has ever put out. Although this is primarily a Blues album, at times it crosses borders into R&B, Soul, and Rock. The entire album is packed with a lot of great music ranging from hard drivin’ rock to traditional style blues, filled with some of the most soul-searching lyrics you’ve ever heard. From the opening bars of “Son Of A Gun” with it’s balls-crunching lyrics, “Mama was a pistol / and if I was a man / they call me a son of a gun cause I’d drop you where you stand” to the last song on the CD, “The Storm” with it’s subtle lyric “Just when you think I’m over / it’s my second wind / you’ll feel my wrath if you ever come for me again / I am the storm”, you’re on a helluva ride. Although people have compared Kat vocally to great singers such as Etta James, Koko Taylor, and Tina Turner, let me tell you, Kat definitely has a style all her own. She sings with the strength and conviction of a soul-domineering woman. She sings with balls. Don’t dare to try to pidgin-hole this woman, she can sing like an angel too when the song demands it. Kat doesn’t mind being compared to all those singers as she tell us, “I don’t mind being compared to those people. Those are my inspirations… Koko Taylor, Tina Turner, Etta James especially and Tracy Chapman. Those voices are iconic, so I am humbled and honored to be compared to them, but I do like hearing that that I have a voice and a delivery that is all my own. I do want people to be able to distinguish me from other Blues singers. I do want them to come away first and foremost in my honesty, you know, that realness. That’s what I want. I have a gritty voice and I just let it be gritty. I don’t like to try to clean it up because I learned a long time ago that it’s better to just be yourself. I’d rather “No Sale,” which concerned a drummer do that than to try to imitate somebody else. friend of Kat’s that had been battling Those people have already covered that, so I addiction. He told her the story on how he want to be me and I want it to be real.” managed to sober up and that encouraged her Kat tells us that on Cry Out, she to write a song that she hoped would help wanted to show her vulnerable side and have people deal with those issues. the listener see just how serious she is with “There’s a world of people out there this album and the subjects on it. She wanted that are going through that,” says Kat. “I all of her performances to truly be authentic want those people to know that they are not and show the reality in her songs. She alone first of all, and the devil is visible. You wanted the listener to really get the meaning can tell him no. You can stand up to the devil of her songs. and win.” She tells us that when it comes to the One of Kat’s favorite songs on the subject matter in her songs, “there are some album is the song “Catching Up,” a song things that I drew on personally in my life. about just wanting to get home after being out Then sometimes when I write, it’s about on tour. “You know,” continues Kat, “being somebody that I know and love, going on the road as an artist you get to missing the through something, and me just trying to people you love and that person that you’re encourage them on getting out of it… pull usually with every day. So that’s me just them through something.” saying ‘ I can’t wait to get home to you and I On such instance of that is the song, miss you and I just want to love you. As a female we don’t get to express all that kind of stuff a lot. It comes out sounding a little different from females, but I’m all about kind of breaking those double standards.” When it comes to her music, Kat is very particular about the vocals and the emotions that they invoke. She is all about honesty in her performance and really wants people to experience what she is feeling and the message she s trying to convey, such as the emotions expressed on “Cry Out,” the title song on the album. “If I’m singing a song about a heartbreak that I’ve experienced, or if I’m singing a song like “Cry Out” about my frustrations and my anger and my sadness about what’s going on in the world, and my hope for a better future… I want every single, teeny, tiny, emotion that I felt when I was continued on next page October 2020 • Rock and Blues International 27

Kat Riggins

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writing that song to come out. I want people to go into my heart and really stand there with me and feel that experience, and all that pain.” And then, there are songs like “Son Of A Gun.” Here’s a song about a woman who knows who she is. She is the master of her own destiny and she’s not afraid to let people know about it. In fact, she actually kicks off the album in a high note with this song. “Son Of A Gun” is one of my girl power songs. It’s one of the songs that says ‘Just because I’m a chick doesn’t mean I can’t be strong,’ and it’s about acknowledging that kind of double standard, like when a woman is strong and confident and doesn’t go too far. This is my take on this kind of attitude. A lot of times we are associated with the B-word, but when a dude has all those qualities about him, Oh, that’s a son of a gun. That’s why I say “my mama was a pistol and if I were a man, they’d call me a son of a gun, because I take after my mom in that aspect.” Not all the songs on this album are that direct, but they do all carry a message about them. In fact, we even have a couple of love songs on here, such as “Truth,” which I found to be really intense, a feeling that Kat explains she was also trying to convey. “It is a love song. I know it sounds intense. It’s a love song and I wanted it to sound intense because I love hard, and writing “Truth” was just me speaking about when I first met my wife, getting to know her and falling in love and then there’s the point where I just want to know everything. I want to know. I want to feel everything that you’re feeling. I want to help you through it. I want to know your entire truth. Not just what’s on the surface, nephews and godson. We’re told that after but what’s beyond that and I want to be a part that recording, there were a few tears shed in of your truth. You know, I want to be a part of the studio for that song and the emotion of everything that is important to you.” having those young kids participate on the Another song that was very important song. After all, it was a very special song for to Kat on this album is the song “Heavy,” Kat. “My God, that’s a very important thing which is preceded with an acapella version of to me, because it’s about trying to make sure the 70’s gospel song “Put Your Hand In The that the future for them is a little less ugly and Hand Of The Man” which segues into a little less hateful,” explains Kat. “Abso“Heavy.” Spirituality is very important to lutely. I get emotional every time I hear the Kat and she likes to include a bit of a gospel record even now. If I play “Heavy” or if it message on her albums. On all of Kat’s comes on, whenever those voices come in, it albums, she likes to deliver a message with always warms my heart and I always get a an acapella intro, and with this song, the little emotional.” message was hope and that we can do better When it came to closing out the album, and create a positive impact on the future that Kat chose the song, “The Storm.” “The is better for everyone. Additionally special storm was placed in that position on purpose for her on the combination of these two songs also because we just kind of wanted to leave was her guest vocalists. Additional vocals that taste in people’s mouths. We wanted to were provided by her young nieces and leave them with an emotional impact. I 28 Rock and Blues International • October 2020 wanted to leave them with that feeling of ‘wow”. I wanted them to look inward and also because I just wanted people to want to do better and be better for each other. I want them to look into each other and for the Earth to have a brighter future where we don’t have to feel this kind of pain.” There’s a lot of great moments on this album, and we’ve only touched on a few here. Your just going to have to get the album and check out everything there. Other songs that you’re going to want to hear are “Meet Your Maker,” “Wicked Tongue,” “Can You See Me Now,” “Burn It Down,” and “On It’s Way.” Yes folks, there’s a lot of toe tapers here, and a lot of great songs to dance to,- just filled with the kind of emotion that only Kat Riggins can deliver. Kat Riggins makes a spectacular debut with this album on Gulf Coast Records. Pick it up today!!