Kim Richey

My windshield wipers were operating in overdrive, headlights on full, as I made the journey to the venue through weather that was more in keeping with late February rather than late May, the mist completely obscuring any sort of view as I crossed the Humber Bridge, sea and sky blended in one heavy mass of grey.

“I normally have my roadies do this” quips Kim Richey as she arrives and fumbles with her guitar lead, setting the tone for an intimate, folksy evening more akin to being in a friend's living room than a music venue, even one as warm and small as the Café.

Hearing her excellent reading of the song live, one was struck that Richey could well have been referring to her musical past.

As always happens during these intimate showcases, GRAMMY Executive Director Scott Goldman interviewed Richey about her songs and career, and primarily focused on her fine new album "Edgeland.

Last night, listening to Kim Richey unwrap her set at Auckland’s Tuning Fork , I had that same sense of excitement.

Richey, who's part Americana in the singer/songwriter vein and part country, started her solo acoustic gig with Just My Luck, These Words We Say and I Know as her first three offerings.

While once upon a time - about 1995! - she was considered a country artist, these days, Richey more squarely falls into the Mary Chapin Carpenter territory with a touch of Sheryl Crow perhaps thrown into the mix.