Kate Fenner explores death and rebirth in her fourth studio album, Dead Reckoning, a music project spanning 11 tracks immersed with raw emotion and purposeful intention that delves into the idea of accepting life’s transitions.
Characterized by Fenner’s signature sultry vocals, Dead Reckoning journeys into Fenner’s innermost contemplations that manifest into meaningful lyrics backed by a sedating combination of instruments. Each song delivers its own unique emotional layer as Fenner sways between folk, blues, alt rock, jazz, and pop.
The Canadian singer and songwriter credits her friend Mike, who she witnessed transition from life back in 2019, for inspiring her to make Dead Reckoning.
“When my friend Mike was dying in December of 2019, I came across an Amy Hempel poem about the failure of language when faced with things like death,” Fenner said in a statement. “At the end, I wanted to comfort him. But what I said was, ‘Sing to it.’ [Referring to] the Arab proverb: When danger approaches, sing to it.”
Sing to it, Fenner did… on songs such as the bluesy, guitar laden “Son of a Gun,” where she channels sounds similar to Joni Mitchell, who also reigns from Canada. Or “Quiet Rider” where Fenner’s songwriting abilities shine as she belts out a very descriptive observation of a person on the horizon of a peaceful death.
The measure of Fenner’s range is further illustrated on the mid-tempo rock song “That Fire” and its polar opposite, “Ghost Moon,” another gem on Dead Reckoning that showcases Fenner’s abilities to hold notes with such a delicate inflection of words that it’s equated to nature’s most subtle surprises.
Listen To “Firefly” From Dead Reckoning
Once an opening act for blues legend B.B. King, Fenner has years of experience in the industry of music that began in the 1980s as a singer and songwriter for the Canadian-based Bourbon Tabernacle Choir. After touring the world with the choir and later with the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, she would release three studio albums, Horses and Burning Cars, Magnet, and Middle Voice.
Arguably Fenner’s magnum opus, Dead Reckoning offers a wave of emotions that at times can feel optimistically upbeat, yet the album concludes in similar form to how its opened. From the quaint piano-assisted opening of “My River” to the heartbreaking “Firefly” ( a true tearjerker), Fenner bares her soul in the midst of life’s greatest storm — losing a loved one.
“Dead Reckoning really is a reckoning during a period of seemingly endless loss and an attempt to determine a ‘way of living that is not waiting,’” Fenner said.
Dead Reckoning is currently available on Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp. Or listen below:
