Up Close and Personal is a live recording by Katy Moffatt recorded in 2002 in Albuquerque, NM. The simple intimacy Moffatt is able to put into her performances is deeply moving. She’s a woman who has lived on the road for close 30 years and has lived to tell about it. Her own songs are full of a quiet and sometimes sensual passion. They are literate and communicate emotion simply and directly. The songs she has written with Tom Russell are among her best. Some of them are included here, including her classic “Walkin’ on the Moon,” “Dance Me Outside,” “Sojourner Truth (Ain’t I a Woman),” and “This Heart Stops for Railway Crosses.” But she is also a fine interpreter of others’ tunes, and here her readings of Holly Near’s “My Man’s Been Laid Off” and Chris Smither’s “Love Me Like a Man” are stellar — the latter rivals Bonnie Raitt’s 1972 version. Moffatt’s own songs are rooted in country and folk; her performances of “Crazy, Dangerous & Blue” takes the cake here. This is the Katy Moffatt recording for those who have been curious but have never explored her many recordings. Fuel has done a service by issuing this fine offering, which is tough, tender, and utterly full of spit, vinegar, and a roughshod elegance. – Thom Jurek
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