Search - Katy Moffatt :: Hearts Gone Wild

Katy Moffatt has more in common with Bonnie Raitt than a headful of wavy red hair; like Raitt, this Texas singer can croon a country heartbreak ballad or belt out a defiant blues with equal ease. Moffatt's 1994 album, Hearts Gone Wild, leans more in the Linda Ronstadt/Emmylou Harris country-pop direction, but the hint of blues in her voice provides an inner strength to her laments about modern romance. Hearts Gone Wild features three songs by Moffatt herself, five cowritten with her producer Tom Russell, three cowritten with her longtime pal Rosie Flores, and one written by her brother Hugh. Moffatt and Russell came up with the Eagles-esque "Thinkin' with My Heart," which is what you start doing after you've lost your mind. She and Flores (with help from Wendy Waldman) cooked up "Ruin This Romance," a bouncy, funny tune about a boy who just won't take a hint and go away. On her own, Moffatt wrote "Kansas City Mornin'," a lovely ballad about lost love. All dozen songs are professionally crafted and sweetly sung. Still, there's something underwhelming about this recording, especially compared to Moffatt's 1990 triumph, Child Bride. Perhaps it's that none of these songs have a grabby melody. Maybe that lack of hooks discourages Moffatt from really opening up her pipes and letting rip. It could be that producer Russell has restrained his singer and her band for fear of offending country radio--or the folk coffeehouse circuit. Whatever the reason, the album gives the impression of talented people holding themselves back. --Geoffrey Himes