Jamil Ragland Photo
Ali Kat and Gene Donaldson perform at the Old State House Food Court.
Ali Kat feat. Gene Donaldson
Old State House Food Court
Hartford
Jan. 22, 2025
The word that I would use to describe Ali Kat’s musical style is “soothing.” I don’t mean that it’s easy listening; she brought a level of intensity to “Midnight Rider” by the Allman Brothers Band with her gravelly voice, transforming the usually upbeat road song into a more contemplative reflection on the surprisingly dour lyrics.
The word that I would use to describe Ali Kat’s musical style is “soothing.” I don’t mean that it’s easy listening; she brought a level of intensity to “Midnight Rider” by the Allman Brothers Band with her gravelly voice, transforming the usually upbeat road song into a more contemplative reflection on the surprisingly dour lyrics.
What I mean is that Ali Kat manages to highlight the humanity of the music, if that makes sense — she managed to help me hear a song I’ve nodded my head to a thousand times in a way that I never had before. It seemed to bypass my ears and go straight to my heart.
Ali Kat was performing Wednesday as part of the Winter Blues concert series at the Old State House Food Court. I’d missed her late last summer during the outdoor concert series, but she was back with special guest Gene Donaldson on guitar.
Dolly Parton’s 79th birthday was just a few days ago, so it was cool to hear Ali Kat pay tribute to her with one of her all-time great songs, “Jolene.” I have to admit that I’d never heard Jolene before, so again I was caught off guard by the actual desperation of the lyrics, with one woman literally begging another to not steal her happiness away. Ali Kat made the song heavy but not mournful, an acknowledgement of the unfairness of life, whether due to the unequal distribution of beauty and charm to Jolene, or the fact that she loves a man who would drop her for another.
Later in her set, Ali Kat played one of my all-time favorite songs, “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. To me, this song more than any other reveals the heart of the person performing it, because it’s so dense with both music and meaning. In Jeff Buckley’s famous rendition of the song, he belts out the refrain with more force as the song progresses, as if reaching out to heaven with each cry.
Ali Kat put her powerful voice on the human part of the lyrics, drawing me in while she described the breaking of love and faith, and how lofty ideals come crashing down when confronted by everyday human life. Ali Kat’s “Hallelujah” is not yearning for Heaven’s touch, but instead demanding respite from the vicissitudes of the eternal.
I’m glad that I finally got to see Ali Kat in person, and experience her own unique spin on the classics that define music.
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