Ora Cogan ‘Katie Cruel’ – psychedelic folk

Photo: Stasia Garraway

Ora Gogan brings a distinctly different interpretation to the traditional ‘Katie Cruel‘, a song that may date back to the American War of Independence and is almost certainly based on an earlier Scottish ballad.   It tells of a girl who came to town and was feted (“they called me the roving jewel” and was later scorned (“now they’ve changed their tune, they call me Katie Cruel.” )  It is, Cogan notes, a song about a sex worker, but in her version she has tried to flip the story – rather than focus on a despairing interpretation of the lyrics Cogan sees a strong woman saying: “You can demean a woman and call her ‘Katie Cruel’, so what… Fucked if I care!

This hypnotic version with a sitar-like guitar part is taken from Cogan’s new album ‘Formless‘ which was released on August 25th.

 

About Jonathan Aird 2888 Articles
Sure, I could climb high in a tree, or go to Skye on my holiday. I could be happy. All I really want is the excitement of first hearing The Byrds, the amazement of decades of Dylan's music, or the thrill of seeing a band like The Long Ryders live. That's not much to ask, is it?
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