Katherine C.H.E.'s Carefree Musical Antidote

A presidential campaign that only grows more nauseating as its climactic moment nears, violence in America’s streets and around the world, and the economic struggles common to so many — given the state of things, the timing is right for soothing sounds evoking simpler times. 

Last month, Katherine C.H.E., a singer-songwriter who lives in Amagansett, released “Campfire Sessions,” an 11-song solo performance complete with the sounds of a campfire and crickets. Two days after its Sept. 15 release, “Campfire Sessions” reached No. 1 on Amazon’s folk chart. It also climbed to No. 2 on its singer-songwriters chart. 

“The campfire vibe,” said the Nashville native, “was the reaction to this year. There have been points — a shooting, then something happened in Syria, the next minute. . . . It’s very discouraging. It felt like a moment to take things back to a simple, less complicated time. Growing up, that’s how I learned about music, sitting around the campfire. It’s my touchstone to a simpler place.” 

Accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, Ms. C.H.E. offers nine original tracks, many of which recall lullabies, with titles including “Be the Peace,” “All I Want to Do Is Kiss You,” “Thank You Song,” and “If I Had One Wish.” 

Two cover songs are also featured: “House of the Rising Sun” and “Wabash Cannonball.” These, she said, also evoke a less complicated time. “ ‘House of the Rising Sun’ was one of the first songs I learned,” she said of the traditional song that is thought to derive from a 16th or 17th-century ballad. “I’ve known ‘Wabash Cannonball’ all my life. My grandfather worked on a couple railroads, and I grew up riding trains with him. I think both songs took me back to a simpler, happier, more carefree moment.” 

The recording and promotion of “Campfire Sessions” have been grassroots, do-it-yourself efforts, the latter achieved not via the machinery of professional marketing and public relations but through word of mouth, social media, and email. It is available in physical form at Innersleeve Records in Amagansett, can be downloaded at Amazon.com and the Apple iTunes Store, and is “streaming everywhere,” Ms. C.H.E. said. 

“One of the things people have been saying is it does have a soothing feel to it,” she said, “which makes me happy. That was one of the goals. Even though all the songs aren’t happy, I wanted an overall vibe of simplicity, an antidote to the stress of the real world.”