Public Radio For Eastern North Carolina 89.3 WTEB New Bern 88.5 WZNB New Bern 91.5 WBJD Atlantic Beach 90.3 WKNS Kinston 88.5 WHYC Swan Quarter 89.9 W210CF Greenville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
US

Kat Edmonson: Tiny Desk Concert

We first met Kat Edmonson nearly four years ago, when All Songs Considered put out a challenge to songwriters on the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration. We asked musicians around the country to capture the moment in song, and Edmonson, a native of Texas, wrote and sent us "Be the Change." It was clearly the best song we received, and she sang it with a unique voice and wonderful phrasing — so spot on. Later, we loved her cover of the George Gershwin-DuBose Heyward standard "Summertime."

Hearing Edmonson makes it virtually impossible to do anything but stop and listen. It was clear, hearing the 29-year-old interpret "Summertime," that the era around the 1930s and '40s was a rich place for her voice.

These days, Edmonson plays with guitarist Steve Elliot, writing some of her own songs, digging deep into the spirit of those more artistically innocent times, and she finds contemporary writers who tell tales of longing and desire and more. On her new album Way Down Low, and now at the Tiny Desk, Edmonson is no longer simply inspired by days gone by; with that fragile voice, she's given it new life. In a digital and branded age, she stands out soft and clear.

Set List

  • "Hopelessly Blue"
  • "I Don't Know"
  • "Lucky"
  • Credits

    Producer: Bob Boilen; Editor: Christopher Parks/Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Christopher Parks, Lauren Rock; photo by Ryan Smith/NPR

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    US
    In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.