Katterwaul: Gimmie Fever!

Former Kiss & The Tells singer Brittany Katter's recording debut under the name Katterwaul, Gimmie Fever!, is an extraordinary and affecting album. Recorded in North Carolina with drummer Tyler Hosskinson, Katter shows off her numerous talents: fantastic songwriting that evokes the rawest of blues, a remarkably soulful voice, and the serrated edges of her guitar playing.

The stripped down and nearly minimal Gimmie Fever! is by turns rousing, fun, cathartic, and reflective. Katter's lyrics and delivery possess a plainspoken and simple honesty, which gives songs like "Free Meals" and "Hangin' On" a timeless, nearly mythical atmosphere. Though Katterwaul's music is rooted in traditional American music—specifically blues, country, and R&B—Katter and Hosskinson lock into a ferocious, trance like groove throughout the record that wipes the dust off the past and reclaims it to tell their stories. Katterwaul's aesthetic couldn't be further than one of a tribute band. This sensibility might be reminiscent of PJ Harvey's Dry and Rid of Me, but Gimmie Fever! is more accessible than those records while retaining the grit that made them such a moving listening experience.

Katter and Hosskinson's rhythms are hypnotic, primal, and aggressive, while Katter's incredibly expressive howl takes you to the river, washing your sins and Katterwaul's musical precedents away permanently.

Katterwaul are scheduled to play a tape release party on Saturday, April 19 at Topaz Tucson with Secret Highway Secrets, Lori Le Chien and Lord Pissing at 8 p.m. The show is all-ages.