Kim Moberg

All That Matters

Independent

Singer-songwriter Kim Moberg is among the relatively small group of artists who continue to create soothing, yet effective and meaningful, folk music.  All That Really Matters is her fourth album, but likely the first exposure to her by our readers. Moberg writes about human emotions and experiences from betrayal and loss to friendship and social justice. The title is the cincher. Ultimately, what matters most is love.

Boston’s Club Pass’m The Folk Collective contributes guests – Moberg’s 26-year-old singer-songwriter daughter, Rachel Moberg, Stephanie McKay, and Lydia “Lovely Singer” Harrell, all of whom harmonize with Moberg on select tracks. Grammy-nominated producer Jon Evans (Tori Amos/Sarah McLachlan) is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitars, bass, drums, keys, and just about anything. NY/Cape Cod artists Eve Samaha and Thea Samaha play violin and cello, respectively. Moberg is on lead vocals, articulating with her thin, gentle, and lovely voice, while playing acoustic guitar. Moberg has eight originals and two covers.” $20 Bill (For George Floyd)” is from her late friend Tom Prasado-Rao. Evans’s stirring arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” sung with daughter Rachel, closes the album.

The opening track, “I’ll Always Be a Friend,” was inspired by Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” Moberg infuses her own tune with a similar level of comfort and empathy.  “Straight for the Heart” was born through a traumatic experience with a narcissist. Her message here is that sharing important truths can be healing and potentially curb such behavior. While this is not addressed to #47, it seems applicable except that said 47 will never admit to wrong. “Kaleidoscope’ is about the joy that emanates from sifting through a box of old pictures, a feeling that digital photos cannot approximate.

Social justice comes into play on “White Lies.” Moberg finds hope in the Latin words printed on the back of the U.S. dollar bill. Translated, those aord are “A New Order of the Ages.” The tune was inspired by the “1619 Project” podcast, which explains that slavery still exists in many forms. Here is an excerpt of her lyrics – “A new order of the ages is prophesized/So all rise/A nation built on fear and hate/Eventually will suffocate/But judgement day will abdicate/So free the truth emancipate.” Moberg scorns the oft too common occurrence of women enduring betrayal by men in “Good Women, Cheatin’ Men.” Moberg sings her late friend’s words about how the brutality against one man is about the systemic disease of racism that continues to plague us. Here is Prasada-Rao’s last verse in “$20 Bill (For George Floyd)” – “Sometimes the wine is sacrament/Sometimes the blood is just spilled/Sometimes the low is the devil’s/last straw/A future unfulfilled/Like the dream they killed/For a twenty-dollar bill.” Throughout the record, Evans’s instrumental flourishes are brilliant. Here, he augments  Moberg’s acoustic with his tenor guitar.

The orchestrated “Memories Bleed,” like so many others, comes across softly, but the messaging is darkly deep. When profoundly wounded in a breakup, too many sit with pain rather than moving forward. “Brimstone and Fire,” imbued by Evans’s array of guitars, decries the fact that we no longer abide by those famous ten commandments laid out for us by Moses.

All That Really Matters is so easy on the ears that some may unfortunately overlook Moberg’s poignant lyrics. There is not a harsh vocal or instrumental note on the record.  Fortunately, she provides the lyrics in the CD’s booklet. Follow along. Her messaging is often provocative and on point.

• Jim Hynes

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