SONGWRITER
Kat Goldman is a Canadian singer-songwriter, whose songs have been covered by Grammy-nominated band, The Duhks (Canada), Dar Williams (United States), and Kate and Ruth (Australia), among many others worldwide.
Her break-out album, “The Great Disappearing Act” (2002) garnered her attention from NYC manager Ron Fierstein, who managed the careers of Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega, and Dar Williams. He asked to sign her on the spot, after he flew up to Buffalo to catch her show one night.
Kat went down to showcase in New York City for several years, but in 2003, was in a freak accident which essentially put her career on hiatus.
After a long recovery, she released her come-back album, "Sing Your Song," in 2007. It was met with high acclaim. When Dar Williams heard it, she wrote, “I can’t imagine the world without it.”
Kat moved to Boston in 2009, where she began taking classes at Harvard and Boston universities. She lived in Cambridge for six years, during which time she also made her third recording, “Gypsy Girl.” Kat graduated from Boston University in 2015, with a degree in English literature.
She returned to Toronto in 2016, to work on her most recent release, “The Workingman’s Blues.” Kat calls it her “rock musical.” The songs tell a story about a young, tough workingman from South of Boston and his hardscrabble past.
Kat has won several awards from The International Songwriting Competition (Nashville). Her songs have appeared in numerous movies, documentaries and television shows, including The Duhks version of her song, “Annabel,” which aired in the TV series, “Hell On Wheels.”
In the spring of 2021 she is releasing her first, published book, “Off The Charts: What I Learned From My Almost Fabulous Life In Music” (Sutherland House books), a comic look at her experiences as a songwriter, along with zany how-to advice for the beginner.
ALBUMS
Album
The Working Man's Blues
This is a collection of songs Kat began to write over a period of two years, that tell a story about a young punk from the South Shore, Massachusetts, who came from "The other side of the tracks." The songs flow in order of the story, and show reflection on the part of the narrator as to who was The Workingman, and how he affected her life in retrospect.
These songs came to Kat in fragments of melodies, riffs, and phrases over many months. They challenged her immensely, both vocally and musically. After she had written the first several of the bunch, she realized that for the first time, she was writing rock n' roll songs
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"Kat Goldman has crafted a powerful statement on the struggles so many of us face today. Essentially a concept album based on her recent real-life experiences living in Boston, the 12-track collection explores the dark underbelly of American society through the eyes of a character, the “workingman,” as told by a female narrator.
As a chronicle of a blue-collar Boston kid’s fight to overcome his hardscrabble upbringing, The Workingman’s Blues presents themes rarely given this much focus in song"
No Depression Magazine
Album
Gypsy Girl
"Having started a new phase of her life three years ago in Boston, the Toronto-born Goldman draws strongly on feelings of displacement for her third album. It puts her in line with countless other singer-songwriters who found a new perspective through exile, but Goldman displays highly attuned powers of observation throughout these 11 tracks. Combined with unhurried production reminiscent of New England forbearers such as James Taylor and Dar Williams, Gypsy Girl is the sort of bittersweet folk to which many less literate artists aspire but rarely achieve.
The best compliment that could be paid to Goldman's efforts is noting the strong echoes of Blue/Court & Spark-era Joni Mitchell on tracks such as "The Road" and "Letter From Paris." Goldman is little-known outside of Toronto, but with songs as strong as those on Gypsy Girl, that shouldn't be the case for very much longer."
Jason Schneider, Exclaim! Magazine
Album
Sing Your Song
After nearly losing her life in a freak accident a few years ago, Toronto singer/songwriter Kat Goldman has returned strong with this album that, not surprisingly, draws heavily from that experience. From the title track;s refrain of "Maybe I died and came right back to life" at the outset, Sing Your Song remains consistently life-affirming until the end and more importantly, without betraying a hint of sentimentality. Goldman's gorgeous melodies, mostly laid down on piano, are heightened to great effect by producer Maury LaFoy's subtle orchestration, giving the record a warm, mid-70s vibe. By extension, Goldman's wide-ranging voice and confessional lyrics often recall classic Joni Mitchell, especially on the entrancing "Driving All Night, and "The Lone Plane". On these, and most of the other songs, the magic rests in Goldman's sheer joy in taking command of her art all over again. Her wide-eyed awareness of now having the capability to triumph over any adversity is simply irresistible. It may be trite to call Sing Your Song the feel-good hit of the year but there most likely won't be many other albums that can match it in terms of pure optimism. (Independent)
Jason Schneider, Exclaim !
Album
The Great Disappearing Act
Sometimes the things you are searching for are right under your nose. Such is the case with fresh-voiced, quirky, Toronto songstress Kat Goldman. Bumping into this disc at a local show was a happy accident and hearing her fresh, buoyant material live, and on record, is a privilege. It's trite to describe her talents in terms of the countless other singers she recalls: Jane Siberry, Kate Bush, Shawn Colvin, Tori Amos, Suzanne Vega, although it helps to define her range. Angelic, vulnerable, personal, kooky, there's no denying the purity of her instrument and her passion is completely audible as she follows the familiar folk-pop trail of her predecessors. The Great Disappearing Act suffers slightly from her personal search for a style to call her own. Her best songs are the simplest ones, like the intoxicating "Balloon and the poignant "Annabel. At the same time, opuses like "La La La Paradise suggest a creativity that just might help break her into a larger audience. In fact, with repeated playing, all the little jewels on this too-short disc eventually find their way into your personal play list. The humorous "Everyone's Getting Married is a full-tilt aural barrage with blazing guitars and full drum attack yet her gentle spirit answers the call as it demonstrates her total control over any musical situation. Look for good things to come from this big character in a little body. Catch her while you can. (Independent)
Eric Thom, Exclaim !