Catie Curtis Crash Course In Roses CD

When folk-rockers fail, it's usually by trying to fudge the line between folk and rock: the music either fails to adequately support the lyrics or it overpowers them. Catie Curtis has found the perfect balance on her third album. She and producer Ben Wisch have created a sound that is warm, intimate, and robust, dense without being murky and crisp without being brittle. Curtis' songs sound timeless; the rolling tunefulness of "Gave Me Love" and the wistful chorus of "Fall Away" both reach out and caress you, while the Trinidadian bassline of "Stay Up All Night" pulls nicely against the mandolin and harmonica. Her singing is a little bit self-conscious; she tends to declaim the notes instead of committing to them. But her voice is sweet and gruff, and the songs are good enough that she gets away with her slightly mannered delivery. Special highlight: the drum sound and the Hammond organ part on "Gave Me Love." ~ Rick Anderson

3rd Rel. Eff.9/2/2 From 16.98 To 11.98

Recorded at Q Division, Boston, Massachusetts.

Personnel: Catie Curtis (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, Wurlitzer organ); Mark Spencer (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, National guitar); Duke Levine (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, E-bow, mandola, omnichord); Jim Ryan (gut-string guitar, mandolin); Kenny White (gut-string guitar, piano, organ); Liz Marshall, Jennifer Kimball, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Melissa Ferrick, Michael Maxwell, Catherine Russell (gut-string guitar); Akira Satake (banjo); Todd Reynolds (violin); Dawn Buckholz (cello); Hugh McCracken (harmonica); T-Bone Wolk (accordion, sound effects); Paul Bryan (organ, djembe, shaker, percussion); Ben Wisch (Wurlitzer organ); Billy Conway (drums, snare drum, percussion); Manolo Badrena (congas, percussion); Sammy Merendino (tambourine, drum programming).

Audio Mixer: Ben Wisch.

Recording information: Bias Recorders; Club Mef; Q Division, Boston, MA; Red House Music, NY, NY.

Photographer: Jana Leon.

Personnel includes: Catie Curtis (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, Wurlitzer piano); Duke Levine (guitar, omnichord); Mark Spence (guitar); Akira Satake (banjo); Jimmy Ryan (mandolin); Todd Reynolds (violin); Dawn Buckholz (cello); Hugh McCracken (harmonica); T-Bone Wolk (accordian, bass); Ben Wisch (Wurlitzer piano); Paul Bryan (organ, bass, percussion, djembe); Kenny White (organ, background vocals); Billy Conway (drums, percussion); Manolo Badrena (congas, percussion); Sammy Merendino (drum programming, tambourine); Mary Chapin Carpenter, Catherine Russell, Melissa Ferrick, Jennifer Kimball, Michael Maxwell, Lix Marshall (background vocals).

Q (10/99, p.117) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...These songs have an easy grace that's hard to come by with great choruses and consistently hookful arrangements. When her tale is told, this will be the album that made it all happen."