A rare phenomenon is upon us; Loving Takes This Course: A Tribute to the Songs of Kath Bloom has the makings of a tribute album to get excited about. Featuring contributions by Devendra Banhart, the Dodos and the Concretes alongside Mark Kozelek's version of "Finally" from his 2008 album of the same title, as well as this stunning heart-breaking rendering of "The Breeze/ My Baby Cries" by Bill Callahan, it should find a wider audience for the overlooked folk singer.
Just like Terry Callier before her, the simple humdrum and economic necessities of life led Bloom to slip out of the music scene in the 1980s and retreat to Conneticut to raise her family. She maintained a quiet presence in the interim, with her trademark fragile, sad songs dotting movie soundtracks, like Linklater's Before Sunrise in 1995. Over the past few years Bloom has been experiencing a gentle resurgence in popularity, thanks to the release of her back catalogue by Chapter Records, which could be amplified by the release of Loving Takes This Course this March.
"The Breeze/ My Baby Cries" originally appeared on Sing the Children Over LP, recorded with with Loren Mazzacane in 1982. Callahan's version is far less harrowing than Bloom's teetering-on-the-verge-of breakdown track. His brooding voice adds depth and resonance to the song, making it less tense and less fraught but just as heart-breakingly beautiful as the original. [Pitchfork]
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