There was quite the crowd gathered at the Rutledge last night to hear an early performance by Katie Eck. In appearance, and sound, Eck very successfully played the part of a soulful diva. She was accompanied by a 5 piece band that looked like they had just gotten done playing for the Queen of Soul herself—(Aretha Franklin, dummies)—along with 3 background vocalists, and a set of pipes that could’ve blown the roof off of the place if it hadn’t been for her impressive control and tasteful melodic choices. Eck’s voice was reminiscent of Kimberly Locke and Joss Stone with her power and vibrato, but stylistically, she was more Alicia Keys, Ray Charles, or—I hate to use the same comparison for any wailing, female soul singer, but—Aretha Franklin. (The first song erupted into a finale finish of “Hit The Road Jack” that was Ray Charles-worthy. ‘Nuff said).
Katie’s original songs were more melody-driven and R’n’B/soulful, while the covers that she chose seemed to aggressively stride along the gospel side. The song that was (probably) called, “I Can See Heaven,” had a delivery and feel that was comparable to “If I Ain’t Got You,” by Alicia Keys, or even a Cece Winans approach. (And how ironic is it that Cece Winans’ daughter was standing nearby during that song?!) You couldn’t help but get the impression that Katie has had a lot of experience performing in church, most likely in front of huge crowds, given her notable stage presence, and the spiritual nature of many of her songs. This is something that makes her stand out, however, because there doesn’t seem to be many Nashville female Christian artists who mix their live performances with more stylistically mainstream, “non-Christian,” artists. (PAGANS). That isn’t a good or a bad thing—it’s just interesting.
Katie Eck’s songs are good enough to get the toes tapping of even the most irreverent, morally questionable show-goers; she cunningly tricks her audience members into enjoying her songs (because they’re good), thus making the subject matter merely an afterthought. You can decide for yourself by going to her website, where you can download some free songs from her EP. Check her out next time you get a chance.—Erin Manning