Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Bluesy, soulful New England singer-songwriter Kerri Powers is about to release her first album in five years. Leading up to the October 27 release of Love Is Why, we’re pleased to premiere the powerhouse track “Rummage Through My Love” here at Blogcritics.
Powers wrote the album’s originals during the pandemic and in the aftermath of losing her father. “I wrote the songs from a place of loss and grieving and went from there,” she says. It’s no mere coincidence that the word “love” is in the title of both the album and today’s premiere. “Writing the songs was hard but a necessary part of healing,” she says, adding that she wrote them “from a place of love for humanity and the need to spread the message that love is essential.”
Rummaging Through the Blues
Indeed, the lyrics to “Rummage Through My Love” suggest a story of potential redemption through love. “You found me here in pieces / Scattered on the ground / I’d pledged my soul to the / Lost and Found.” But: “This old heart of mine / is yours to shine / Take your time / Rummage through my love…”
Powers had returned to music after putting her career on pause to start a family, raise a son and then go through a tough divorce. “I wasn’t sure I would ever get back to performing,” she says. “But I did continue to write. Writing the songs was what ultimately gave me the incentive to keep going. Music and art have always been a healing force in my life.”
Roots Music Report ranked her self-titled debut EP as No. 1 on its “Top 50 Folk Albums of 2014” list, and she went on to appearances at events like the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. She’s had songs appear in the move Chuck and TV shows Rescue Me and Justified.
Stellar Lineup
Now, after a five-year recording hiatus, Powers has plenty to say. And she enlisted some top-shelf help to say it. The album features a number of guest artists, including Luther Dickinson, Doug Lancio, and Marty Ballou. As for “Rummage Through My Love,” Powers told us she’s thrilled that guitarist Kelvin Holly (Little Richard, Bobby Bland) and gospel greats The McCrary Sisters appear on the powerhouse track.
And what about that image of “rummaging?” It’s simple: As Powers explained, “Songwriters are always chasing songs. I saw a rummage-sale sign one Saturday morning and thought about how we rummage through one another’s baggage in relationships.”
Now, here’s what she pulled out of that blues bag:
With the October 27 release of Love Is Why, Kerri Powers is headed to Europe for a series of shows this fall. She’ll be back in early 2024 for U.S. appearances. Check her website for tour dates, and pre-order Love Is Why.
