Over the course of eleven full-length albums, Paula Cole has experienced tremendous success, but also struggled to identify how her unique artistic expression fit (or didn't) with the pop-genre she was typically associated with.
On her new album American Quilt, Cole has embraced her true identify - that of a jazz and blues inspired singer of great songs - whether they be her own ("Hidden in Plain Sight”) or the genre-crossing masterpieces like Wayfaring Stranger and By Bye Blackbird.
American Quilt also marks the first time Cole has felt comfortable enough to showcase her own vocal improvisation - a skill she studied at college but never put in to practice on any of her previous albums.
On our session, she spoke about what was weighing on her mind during her extended time off, her new tour that looks back at the songs from the seminal 1996 album This Fire, and she shared a few tunes she was able to record recently with her full band.
