Katrina Marie : Gimme Sugar!

Hello to all the readers! So, it's time for our 101st artist. I've been thinking about it the past few days and just wanted someone who had real substance. And, I've come to deliver. Today's artist is Katrina Marie, a quirky Youtube artist whose voice is strong and gentle, mature yet young, and always full of emotion. She's a perfect artist to start off the second hundred artists on the blog. I could have written about someone overproduced, someone completely raw and stripped down, but Katrina Marie compromises everything and creates a blend of personalities in her music. I first came across her doing an enchanting cover of Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose," a song that remains timeless. So many have covered it, yet I love how each person infuses their personality into it. Strangely, when you first see Katrina talking, she comes across as a fun loving, young woman, yet the moment she lets those singing notes out, she somehow gains a whole lot of maturity. Seriously. Just listen to her without looking at her and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhpBLH2jpf0

Brilliant! As I said, she could deceive anyone as being an incredibly experienced and mature vocalist when you're not looking at her. You would never guess she is actually quite young. I got a Celine Dion feel in her voice that's rich in texture and flexible beyond measure. When she hits those high notes, she keeps that deep tone that just hits me so perfectly. And when she gets those bassy notes going, she somehow balances it off as well. Overall, I think that's the perfect word for Katrina Marie. She's got balance in every aspect. She balances logic and emotion into the song, tones, speed, as well as production. I must say that the sound quality is brilliant considering how real it is.

Now, for those who aren't massive fans of "La Vie En Rose," which I would rate as one of the top hundred songs of the past century, she's got some more recent song covers that I'm definite you'd enjoy. One that caught my ear is of The Zutons' "Valerie," which was also covered by the incredible Amy Winehouse. I covered the song a lot a couple years ago and just loved all the directions you could take with it. Katrina Marie definitely follows a Winehouse inspired direction but infuses the cover with a certain pace that is so representative of Katrina's emotion based covers. Love it. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQijZHj_3zg

What a great cover. There's something so real about it and almost laid back, due to Katrina Marie's pacing of the song. What's great about her approach is that it gives you time to focus on the lyrics rather than just get lost in the catchy melody. I mean, we all love the Zutons energetic version and Amy's even more energetic version, but getting a feel for new directions is just a fantastic thing to be exposed to. So, I've got to say, I'm so thankful Katrina uploaded this cover and just wish so many more people would get their covers and originals out there.

Now, regarding originals, Katrina Marie's got a bunch, and actually has released her debut album to iTunes. It's just so fantastic that artists can get their music online and out to the masses so easily nowadays. I mean, I recorded my album during a live show and produced it at home. From there, I just got it onto iTunes and just couldn't believe how easy it is. Anyways, I'll get to that another time. Let's get down to originals. Make sure you check out a few of her originals, because I truly feel that Katrina Marie shines most when she's doing her original material. It's certainly the case with most singer/songwriters. A song that I immediately fell in love with is called "Gimme Sugar." No, it's not because it combines the titles of two of my favorite Rolling Stones tracks, but because its fun, funky and real. I checked out the fully fledged version and its also great, but you know me, I like my music raw and stripped down. So, check out this brilliant track and thanks for supporting Youtube's artists! Check back next Thursday for another fantastic artist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9suZTzODINc

Alex Hamel