Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill

Country Cookin' From The Land Down Under:
Aussie-Bred Singer/Songwriter KATE RUSSELL Unleashes Her "Powerful Stuff  and “Kicks Down The Door”

Music Row’s Bob Oermann calls it A Slamming Rocker, the Female Version of Hicktown.

Coining the phrase “Country Barbecue Music” to describe her second CD release Kick Down The Door multi-talented musician, composer, singer and songwriter Kate Russell says, “It's the kind of fun, dancing, rocking music you want to hear while you're socializing at a barbecue.”
Recorded in Nashville with Sound Shop’s  Mike Bradley at the controls, this CD   hosts a  who’s who of Nashville’s finest studio musicians including  ex –Toto bassist David Hungate with son Noah playing drums and percussion , pedal steel phenomenon Paul Franklin, fiddler Rob Hajacos  and guitarists Chris Leuzinger and Pat Buchanan .
The first  single” The Man He Could Be”  is a  lyrical tale of  a woman’s high expectations for her man and will be promoted  with a  national radio and video  campaign .

A native of Australia whose years in the U.S. have not affected her irresistibly charming accent one bit, Russell is eager to clue Stateside country fans in on a little secret: that barbecues and the contemporary kind of country music she makes are just as popular Down Under as they are in the United States.

Russell draws upon a unique array of influences in creating her distinctive musical sound. She uses the phrase “Keith Urban meets Bonnie Raitt” to best describe her blend of Aussie style, soulful vocals, insightful and emotional songwriting and accomplished musicianship. Yet her remarkable lower register vocal timbre has the unmistakable stamp of an even earlier inspiration, Karen Carpenter.

Her first CD Powerful Stuff was produced in Los Angeles with Rich Mouser, who has worked with artists like Oleander, Tears For Fears, Dream Theatre, and did tracks for the American Pie 2 soundtrack, with additional production by Clyde Brooks in Nashville. Brooks, who has worked with Curb and Polygram with such artists as Ronna Reeves and Perfect Stranger, is an accomplished Nashville studio drummer with over 6,000 sessions to his credit, including dates with Dolly Parton, Dwight Yoakum, George Jones and Little Richard.

“"Kate is an artist who brings soul and lyrical imagery to everything that she sings,” Brooks says. “She is an eclectic singer/songwriter who approaches her artistry from a standpoint of integrity.  It has been a pleasure to work with her both musically and personally.”

The Sydney-born Russell, who credits her parents for passing their deep love for traditional country music on to her, began singing at age five and was soon harmonizing with her grandmother, who sang what Russell calls “light opera.” She started piano lessons around seven, and by the time she was in her teens was playing and singing at local hotels and restaurants.   

Russell remembers playing for the first time in a club in the western suburbs of Sydney. “The next time I played there, it was standing room only,” she says. “This was one of the first times I realized that I could someday make music for a living.”

She carried her passions and growing ambition to the United States, studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. A former marathon runner who once competed in qualifying races for the Olympic trials, and a tri-athlete as well, Russell spent many harsh Beantown winters dedicated to training. “After my runs, I would have sweat frozen to my body,” she says.

A few years later, studying for her degree in Music Composition at a college in North Texas, she performed Top 40 country songs in a band between exams. Russell then moved to San Pedro, California, a small town outside of L.A. where she taught as an adjunct professor at a college, and where she currently gives private vocal and piano instruction. While establishing herself on the West Coast, she also took her upbeat style overseas to entertain troops on a Department of Defense tour of the Pacific Rim, including Hawaii, Southeast Asia and Guam.

Drawing an analogy between songwriting and another longtime passion of hers, surfing (which she once considered turning into a professional career), Russell says, “Surfing is a composition all on its own. It's about watching a wave and designing how you're going to ride it. There's nothing quite like the freedom of surfing on a day that's clear – the sun, the water. It's a peaceful place to be.”

Surfing is perhaps an unusual hobby for someone who credits Patsy Cline, Floyd Cramer, Patty Loveless and Slim Dusty --one of Australia's top-selling country artists of all time--as being among her biggest musical influences, but a simple matter of geography didn't prevent Kate Russell from developing a passion for the classics of country music.

“I'm really excited about people's reactions to the songs on Powerful Stuff, and my new album “Kick Down The Door” and I'm looking forward to getting out there and performing, which is something I've always been totally at home with,” she says. “I think I'm writing the best songs of my life. I've reached a place that I want to be with my writing, and I'd like to branch out and write songs for other people, too. I also wouldn't mind doing film scores. I enjoy doing any composing, from a simple three-minute song to a symphonic piece. I've never believed in setting limits for myself, and I can't wait to share all I have with the world.”