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The singer/songwriter genre is one of the most crowded pools a musician can swim in and there are so many acoustic guitar and vocal-type performers out there that it becomes difficult to establish an identity, especially outside of one’s local scene. Boston-based songstress Katrin (aka Katrin Roush) flies in the face of this unfortunate situation and, using only elements that are common to many other performers, crafts a sound and a body of work that is fresh and familiar, literate and lyrical, and undeniably hers, all at the same time. She has been developing as an artist and songwriter since first taking the stage in 1993 and even a quick listen to her latest CD, Soul Wide Open, will give ample evidence that she is a mature and confident writer with a voice that is unique and profound. Soul Wide Open is Katrin’s third and most highly-anticipated CD release. Her previous releases have made her an award-winning songwriter and one of the bigger fish in her regional pond and it is hoped that Soul Wide Open will break her out to an even larger audience, continuing on the path that has seen her perform with artists like Kathy Mattea and Nickel Creek. Her sound is sort of a cross between the open-tuned guitars of Joni Mitchell (more on that in a minute) and the rock and blues influence of a less-bombastic Mellissa Etheridge. She always remains focused on the song at hand, however, and never veers off into self-indulgence or any sort of artistic wankery. This truly makes all the difference and makes the record easy to listen to in one sitting, as well as giving it the cohesion that only all-killer-no-filler can provide. One thing that sets Katrin apart from many other similar musicians is her guitar playing. She is a better-than-average player and works in many different tunings and grooves. This gives her the ability to write songs that are set apart from each other and that do not repeat themselves. She can be delicate and pretty one minute (“Weather Any Storm”), get funky and rhythmic the next (“Little Things”), and create lyrical blues-rock the third (“Stepping Stones”) and never come off stiff or uncomfortable. Through it all, the musicians behind her on these sessions do an admirable job of conveying these songs to the listener in a fuller way, especially electric guitarist Scott Tarulli, who is an outstanding melodic and textural foil to Katrin in the way that Mike Campbell embellishes the songs of his boss Tom Petty. Lyrically, Katrin shows us a searcher’s heart and a saint’s passion, maintaining a sanctified feel backed with an almost-gospel sense of spiritual uplift that comes through no matter what she sings. Soul Wide Open is clearly the work of an artist who knows just what she wants and goes after it with the confidence that greatness brings. Though she tackles many moods and feels in the course of this ten-song set, Katrin’s grooves and voice tie it all together and make the tunes go down like a real album (remember those?) and not a mere collection of singles. Indeed, there is enough musical firepower here to start a national blaze if she is given the opportunity to seduce the music world at large. Here’s hoping that she gets that chance sooner rather than later, as talent like this deserves the biggest audience it can get. Review written by Mike O'Cull of Riveting Riffs Magazine October '09