Warwickshire singer-songwriter Karen Killeen-Jones considers life from the female perspective in six delightful songs.

Release Date:  Out now

Label: Self Release

Formats: CD / Digital

Karen Killeen-Jones is one half (the other half is her husband, Colin) of folk duo KC Jones, whose December 2023 album, Roots, continues to receive heavy rotation chez nous.  For her latest venture, Karen flies solo in the truest sense of the word; on her new EP, A Woman’s Work, she not only plays every instrument – guitar, piano, whistle, piano accordion, cajon, shruti box and percussion – but also sings all parts of some marvelous, often multi-part, harmony vocals and is the proud author of four of the six songs featured in this delightful package.

A Woman’s Work is, as you probably expect, a collection of songs that consider various aspects of life, taken from the female perspective and, in just six songs, Karen manages to cover an impressive acreage of ground.  Of course, the advantages taken by various devious men get a sound airing, as they go about their well-documented ways of breaching trust and committing abuse, but it’s not all one-way traffic by any means. 

Hailing from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Karen has been performing in folk clubs since she was nine years old and she’s an accomplished songwriter.  Her songs often showcase her love and knowledge of the traditional idiom and she’s also a wonderfully talented instrumentalist and a fantastic vocalist.  Those talents are all brought deliciously together on A Woman’s Work with the help of Producer Mick Bisker at Rack and Ruen Studio.

The story starts in familiar territory.  The Blacksmith will be well-known to anyone who has ever frequented a folk club at any point during the past 50 years or, indeed, has taken anything more than a cursory glance in the direction of traditional music but, the version that Karen delivers here may – just possibly – be the best you’ll ever hear.  She accompanies her measured, comfortable vocal on guitar, whistle and accordion and, when she adds her own vocal harmonies during the song’s final verse, the picture is complete.

The deceptively sweet and cosy Mad Mary is the first of Karen’s own compositions to be featured.  Simple instrumentation is all that’s needed as Karen’s story of an elderly lady who welcomes strangers into her home, only to murder them by whatever means she has available, unfolds.  And the story is told in a sincere – and eminently knowing – tone of voice that perfectly matches the increasingly gruesome narrative.

Highly imaginative arrangements of well-known traditional songs are clearly one of Karen’s specialties – and it’s a specialty that she exercises to full effect for her delivery of the ballad, All Things Are Quite Silent.  The drone of Karen’s shruti box is the sole instrumental accompaniment, and her multi-part vocal harmonies are simply stunning.  And Karen’s ability to write songs in the traditional idiom is impressively exercised for the keening Home to Me.  The song’s narrator laments the loss of her press-ganged lover to a gentle acoustic guitar accompaniment and Karen’s vocal rendition of the story is crystal-clear.

Poor Polly Button, the cautionary tale of a lonely lady who is murdered by a male predator is another song that any regular folk club attendee would swear that they’ve heard before, such is its adherence to the traditional style – both musically and lyrically – but it’s a new song, which Karen delivers, this time, to a simple percussive rhythm.  The harmonies she brings to the song’s chorus are fantastic and, despite the tragic subject matter, the tune is deceptively jaunty.

The threads of A Woman’s Work all come tidily together for the collection’s title track.  Karen’s voice is sincere and sympathetic as she recounts – to an accompaniment of guitar and whistle – the age-old story of a woman’s life, as she leaves the security of her mother’s knee and enters a life of poverty, drudgery and abuse.  It’s a story that, sadly, is as relevant today as it was 100 years ago…

A Woman’s Work is a delightful collection of songs, compiled, recorded and presented with great care, great love and great talent.

Watch the official video to Home to Me, a track from the EP, here:

Karen Killeen-Jones / KC Jones online: Official Website / Facebook / Bandcamp

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