Katarina Pejak - Pearls On A String (2024) [Hi-Res]

With "Pearls On A String" Belgrade-born singer, keyboard player and songwriter Katarina Pejak announces her second release on Ruf Records. Or rather her third, if you take the live recording from Ruf's 2019 Blues Caravan into account that she played together with her colleagues Ina Forsman and Ally Venable.

While her 2019 label debut "Roads That Cross" was recorded at Mike Zito's MARZ studio in Texas, with Zito also acting as producer, the recording sessions for the new album took place in France where Katarina Pejak has since taken up residence. Her husband, Romain Guillot, played an important role as co-producer and sound engineer on the record.

In the studio Katarina Pejak was accompanied by a three-piece band, consisting of guitarist Boris Rosenfeld, bass player Sylvain Didou and drummer Johan Barrer. Moreover there are guest appearances of Californian guitarist Laura Chavez on the opener and title track and Dana Colley, the sax player of alternative rock band Morphine, on the jazzy number "Woman". "I am very proud to have as special guests Dana Colley of Morphine, easily my favorite band, and the great Laura Chavez, who played on my first Ruf Records album as well."

Apart from ten originals two covers can be found on the tracklist: the Pink Floyd classic "Money" written by Roger Waters and "Honey Jar" by the US roots band The Wood Brothers. "My version of 'Money' was fun to record, with an ironic and spooky twist that will hopefully question the message of the song. And 'Honey Jar' is just a beautiful song that I love to play." As far as the themes of her own songs are concerned, the musician adds, "they are about saying goodbye to the past, joyfully questioning love and relationships and enjoying what we have. After a period of starting new songs but not being able to finish them, it was like a levee broke, after I had written the title track of 'Pearls On A String' and songs just started pouring out."

"What sets this album apart from my previous ones", Katarina Pejak continues, "is that I produced it myself with the input of my band and Romain. I had absolute freedom to arrange the songs and decide what mood to put in the center of each song. And with that freedom came responsibility. This is why it is a very personal record - it is a step in a new direction for me as a musician, but some familiar sounds are still there."

In April and May 2024 Katarina Pejak will be on tour with the Blues Caravan again, alongside Ruf newcomer Alastair Greene and Eric Johanson whose label debut "The Deep And The Dirty" was released in 2023.