Kate Magdalena Turns Activism into ‘A Larger Dance’ with New Album

By Hallels News Nov 04, 2019 01:58 AM EST

Kate Magdalena has released her highly-anticipated Americana album, A Larger Dance (Southern Skye Records) - Available at all digital platforms. In advance of the new album, Magdalena released 5 of the tracks early as a series of singles. Fans as well as country radio stations quickly embraced her rousing cover of Sinead O'Connor's "Take Me To Church," the patriotic "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and originals "New Earth," "Be the Lark" and "Streets of Any Town," a song dedicated to the plight of the nation's homeless men and women.

"I like to call my genre 'Timely Americana' in that my songs are written for this time, these people, facing life now, with the particular challenges and poignancies of the unique day we live in," says Magdalena. "The songs are intended to soothe while they awaken, prod while they caress, and invite the listener into the appreciation of the larger dance."

Early listeners have referred to the new songs as "soul therapy," noting that the tracks intend not only to awaken but to heal and vivify.

Magdalena's second full length album is produced by GRAMMY-nominated-producer Billy Smiley (Johnny Cash, Whiteheart, Clay Aiken, The Newsboys). The album features some of Nashville's finest musicians with Fred Eltringham (The Wallflowers, Sheryl Crow), Byron House (Robert Plant and the Band of Joy), Blair Masters (Garth Brooks) and Brennan Smiley (The Technicolors). While mostly original, A Larger Dance also includes reimagined covers by Crosby Stills & Nash ("Southern Cross"), Joan Armatrading ("Dry Land") and Leonard Cohen ("Dance Me to the End of Love").

"I confess: I'm a songwriter that went to seminary just before I became a songwriter, just before I knew I could even write songs," says Magdalena. "I was always seeking meaning, even as a child. Somehow, I feel called to marry meaning and music in songs that address the times that we are in, and my experience of being alive now, hoping that you too can share in my experiences along with your own."

About Kate Magdalena:
For Magdalena, singing is a way to bring what is inside, outside. It is to make the invisible audible. "It can change minds and soften hearts. I believe that music is part of every cell of the human body; and that we can use music to reach others in ways words cannot." Magdalena has an ability to move her listeners with her voice, delighting them with both sonic beauty and meaning. She was raised in an era in which people looked to the arts and music to inspire social activism. Like Dylan's great songs, Magdalena's music addresses some of the pressing issues of our own day. She hopes that in pursuing her own dream later in life, that she might inspire others to follow their dreams.

Connect with Kate Magdalena:
Website: https://katemagdalena.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katemagdalenamusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KateMagdalen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kate_magdalena/

Track Listing for A Larger Dance:
1. Dry Land
2. New Earth
3. Take Me to Church
4. Bluer Than Blue
5. A Larger Dance
6. Streets of Any Town
7. Southern Cross
8. Dance Me to the End of Love
9. Long Live the Woods
10. Be the Lark
11. Battle Hymn of the Republic