Album Review: Neyla Pekarek Becomes “Rattlesnake” Kate

I am a SUPPORTER OF NEYLA PEKAREK! Her concert for Rattlesnake felt like theatricality compartmentalized at Rockwood Music Hall. With the album bound to hit the musical circuit, it is no surprise that the record has notes of melodrama. Yet, Neyla was smart to make its penchant for dramatics and undercurrent for a folk record, ultimately, about empowering women/ people to be their own hero. 

Based on Rattlesnake Kate, lyrically, Neyla takes the legendary life of this actual hero, and simmers it into a tale of humility and human commonality. There comes a point, in everyone’s life, when they cannot wait for someone else to help or step up for them. In essence, the cavalry isn’t coming, so either you fight for yourself or you get taken out! This may seem like a rough image, but it is truly relevant in 2019. So many people need help, and Rattlesnake Kate is the story of someone that knew waiting for others does not mean you stop yourself. 

From “The Attack” to “Western Woman,” Neyla Pekarek takes you on the outlandish, but always sentimental journey of Rattlesnake Kate; turning her into an “every woman.” She is smart, ambitious, loving, and consistently toiled by Life and its strange hiccups. Who could not relate? “Better Than Annie,” “Swearing You Off,” and “Arsenic” have Kate fighting off the randomness and weirdness of life’s scenarios, while still having to handle and grow her heart. Thus, this woman may have been a Western hero, but she sounds very 21st century to me. No matter how much you need to figure out life, you need to figure yourself out more, and Neyla makes that truth the real folk hero. 

Vocally, Neyla Pekarek should be called Neyla Presley. She drawls and draws her voice like Elvis; as if her vocality is a pistol she is ready to whip at any potential “snake” coming her way. Listeners become beguiled as they hear Neyla act out her verses and through tracks like, “Miffed” and “Hold On Tight.” This allows her to turn her Americana, guitar melodies into scene changes. They come off like moving sets, which gives Rattlesnake an undeniable imaginativeness. For More Information on Neyla Pekarek And To Buy Rattlesnake Click Here.