The Voice In a word, distinctive. Applied softly, Kane's voice is a husky whisper of woodsmoke that lends her words a confessional air. As her voice strengthens towards the accents, it shines through with a warm, brassy lustre, like highlights on old burnished silver. The Songs Rachel Kane writes songs of uncommon intelligence about subtle but memorable subjects: the ways we say goodbye; how a long-gone lover can haunt you; the times when language falls short; how we stay grounded in the midst of chaos; the way time passes and what it can do. Kane doesn't deal in passing fancies and trivial pursuits, but in eternal verities revealed through the lens of daily life.

The Sounds Kane's music moves in a territory somewhere between folk, R & B and especially pop, not unlike the roots-rock stylings of, say, John Hiatt or Bonnie Raitt. She's equally adept at traditional folk song ("Slipping Through My Hands"), funky blues ("Soldier"), straight-up pop ("Six Degrees of Separation") and even a classic lullaby ("Little Girl"). All delivered with a discerning style, grace and maturity that's all her own, and very adult. It's her unique, sophisticated toughness that set Kane apart: The baroque string arrangement of "Missing You"; the stately saxophones in the latter half of "Groundwire"; the traditional accordion and banjo that colour "Slipping Through My Hands"; the wordless chanting which occurs often enough in her songs that it might safely be called a Rachel Kane trademark. The Singer Born in New York, Rachel Kane played guitar and sang backup in a Latin band by the age of seventeen, while living with a Puerto Rican poet in Spanish Harlem and touring the eastern seaboard. After a summer in Leningrad, she moved to Paris and completed a master's degree in French. Kane then moved to Winnipeg, where she earned a teaching degree in French and Spanish and taught French folk music at the Université de Saint Boniface. After a move to Toronto, Kane's father sent her a package that included her teenage journals from New York. She found an entry that read "I wish I would write well enough to write songs": she hasn't stopped writing them since. She's also sought out musical companions, singing and playing with a handful of Toronto's best players and musicians. Her tough-but-vulnerable stage presence has earned an appreciative audience in clubs and concert halls across Canada. The Debut Album In 1997, Kane recorded her debut album "Groundwire" with her regular bandmates (and Toronto all-star musicians) David Woodhead on bass (who pulled double-duty as producer), Ray Montford on guitar and Al Cross on drums. Guest musicians included such luminaries as violinist Oliver Schroer, cellist Anne Bourne and singer Katherine Wheatley, among others. With the release of "Groundwire" in 1998, Rachel Kane has truly arrived. For further information contact: Rosalie Goldstein & Associates, Box 31003, 208-393 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba MN R3B 3K9 Canada Tel: (204) 888-9470 Fax: (204) 896-6033 Email: rocknros@magic.mb.ca

Click Below to hear Excerpts from "Groundwire" Sorry Don't Fix It Six Degrees of Separation Gift of the Magi Missing You Gypsy Groundwire Soldier Slipping Through My Hands Never Said Goodbye Song for the Babymaker Little Girl Get the CD. To purchase the Groundwire CD, call 1-212-674-1958 or 1-800-362-4978 (toll free in the U.S. only). Orders may also be sent by fax to 1-212-674-1958 or by email to kanecd@multimedialibrary.com. Cost for the CD is $19.95 plus shipping costs of $2.05 (U.S. and Canada only). Prices are in U.S. dollars.