Nashville – I am not typically a fan of venue/restaurant combinations. I find the usual eating clientele with their busy chatter to be distracting from the music that some have come to witness. Soulshine Pizza Factory is pleasantly designed to avoid this sort of off-putting atmosphere. This midtown Nashville eatery is sectioned off to cater to music enthusiasts as well as pizza lovers; and out on the upstairs patio is where Katy McAllister stepped onto the stage and proceeded to impress an audience eager to hear her.

Smiling and humble, Katy sat behind her keyboard and greeted the audience with a little wave. Katy McAllister grew her devoted national following by posting YouTube videos of her performing cover songs of famous artists. Hailing from Denver, CO, Katy McAllister has decided to make a splash in the Nashville music scene – and Nashvillians are glad she did. Looking every bit the part of the girl next door, Katy proved through her pop music that there is more to her than just an innocent demeanor.

Katy McAllister’s newest album, Take Me Away, is being released right on the heels of her Soulshine Pizza Factory performance. She introduced us to the title track of the album immediately at her show. “Take Me Away” is performed with rapid, almost desperate breaths that convey the winded feeling one gets when next to the one they love.

Most of Katy’s songs are sung in this manner, which is appropriate given that most of her songs are about falling in love. She creates for the crowd a literal experience of what it means to be swept off one’s feet and nothing, in my opinion, is better than watching an artist go through the emotions of the song they are performing. Katy McAllister not only puts her heart and soul into every lyric she sings, she relives every reason she wrote the song in the first place.

As Katy went to perform her third song, she laughed. “This song is called…well, this song has a lot of names. So I don’t even know what to call it.” She smiled at the crowd and began a ballad about a woman who refuses to allow her walls to break down as she moves from one love to the next. It was a song that tested Katy’s range, pushing her to belt out lyrics in a soulful vocal before softening to a gentle, whisper-like state. It resonated with everyone in the audience; we have all been there, trying hard to not let our walls fall down to anyone. Here was a girl who had been vulnerable all evening, showing us her love for falling in love; and now she was singing the story of a woman desperate to not be broken. It made Katy relatable, which is something always to be desired in any performing artist.

With a voice that is light and airy yet packs an emotional power, Katy McAllister is sweeping Nashvillians off of our feet. She is not currently touring except for playing small venues in Nashville, but with her new album being released on February 19^th I would expect her to start performing more actively or perhaps set up a mini-tour. While Soulshine Pizza Factory allowed her to present her talents to some of Music City’s avid music fans, it would be refreshing to see her perform on a stage that is not in a restaurant. 

(Editor’s Note: Our Beth McAllister is not related to Katy.)

Photo By Cheyenne Thompson