Catherine Tuttle What They Will Find CD

Catherine Tuttle kicks off What They Will Find with the bouncy title track, at once establishing herself as a contemporary folk-pop artist in the mode of Sarah McLachlan with a lively performance style. The arrangement, a combo of electric guitar, keyboards, and even, toward the end, strings, is nicely done. It's an ambitious start, followed by "Free Bird," which rocks a bit harder. The lyric about a caged bird being set free may be a bit typical, but thanks to the bright production and upfront vocal it never sounds like a New England songwriter beating one over the head with an important lyric. The remainder of the album, while solid enough, doesn't quite maintain this level. And while What They Will Find has much to recommend it, it doesn't quite reach the level of the sum of its influences (McLachlan , Tori Amos, and Jonatha Brooke) at their best. Still, the album's ability to marry singer/songwriter lyrics with a pop sound make the songs very accessible. It doesn't hurt at all that she's an expressive singer who doesn't over-sing. Certain tracks, like "Restless," too closely resemble her influences (McLachlan in this case), so it's a relief when Tuttle really cuts loose on a cut like "Vintage Heart." Fans of any of the above mentioned artists will enjoy watching an artist in the process of finding her own voice on What They Will Find. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Catherine Tuttle is a 19-year-old singer/songwriter from Philadelphia, and now a freshman at Harvard. At the age of 16, she began to play the coffeehouse circuit around Philadelphia accompanying herself on the piano. Soon she was playing some of the best

Recording information: Morningstar Studios, Spring House, PA.

Photographer: Lisa Shaffer.

Personnel: Catherine Tuttle (vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, background vocals); Catherine Tuttle; Glenn Barratt (guitar, guitars); Jef Lee Johnson (guitars, mandolin, synthesizer, bass instrument); Dave Schonauer (strings, synthesizer); Ron Kerber (strings); Tom Petroski, Thomas M. Petroski Jr. (organ); Chico Huff (bass instrument); Eric Johnson , Jeff Davis , Eric Johnson , Jef Davis (drums); Lucie Daigle, Keth Garner, Zahmu Sankofa (background vocals); Ron Jennings (guitar, dobro); Olga Konopelsky, Gregory Teperman (violin); Davis A. Barnett (viola); Mark Ward (cello); Jimmy Coleman (drums); Doc Gibbs (percussion); Antje Duvekot (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Glenn Barratt.