Kate Wolf

Wolf was a straightforward, sincere contemporary folk singer/songwriter, and it should come as no surprise that this 75-minute concert video is a straightforward, no-frills production. 25 minutes of this 1985 concert were originally broadcast on PBS's Austin City Limits, but this includes the entire show. Kate (who died of leukemia in 1986) performs 14 songs from all phases of her career, with a backup band of Nina Gerber (guitar, mandolin, harmonica, harmony), Ford James (bass, harmony), and occasional violinist/mandolinst Randy Sabien. Low-key and homespun, the performance has a couple of songs that were not released on any of her records, and although it's dominated by original material, it does have four compositions by other writers, including a Robin Williamson tune and the '60s standard "Let's Get Together." The stereo sound, remixed from the audio master, is outstanding. In fact, the concert was issued on compact disc by Kaleidoscope, which means that you might just want to stick with the recording unless you're a huge fan. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide