Laura Cortese - Bitter Better - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Acclaimed fiddler, singer, and songwriter Laura Cortese releases Lucky Water, her first album in six years, on October 9th. Nearly a decade after relocating to Belgium, Cortese channels the profound shifts of marriage, motherhood, and dual citizenship into a collection that moves fluidly between chamber folk, roots rock, and indie pop. Recorded at Betty's - the rural North Carolina studio opened by Sylvan Esso - and produced by LOLLIES, Lucky Water transforms uncertainty and displacement into an affirmation of the relationships and communities that sustain us. In support of the album, Cortese embarks on a North American tour in October.

Nick Moss - Privileged [COMPACT DISCS] date 03/16/2010

A prolific songwriter for over 20 years now, Laura Veirs proves the depth of her musical skill on her tenth solo album, The Lookout. Here is a batch of inimitable, churning, exquisite folk-pop songs; a conceptual album about the fragility of precious things. Produced by Grammy-nominated Tucker Martine, Veirs' longtime collaborator, The Lookout is a soundtrack for turbulent times, full of allusions to protectors the camper stoking a watch fire, a mother tending her children, a sailor in a crows nest and a lightning rod channeling energy. The Lookout draws on the talents of a time-tested crew of musicians Karl Blau, Steve Moore, Eli Moore, Eyvind Kang and Martine. Says Veirs, InchThese guys are a good hang, ego-free and wonderful players who just want to serve the songs.Inch Sufjan Stevens and Jim James provide guest vocals. For Martine, who fell, almost two decades ago, for Veirs' unique sound after listening to a tape cassette she'd sent him in the mail, this album reflects a bar that keeps getting raised. Both familiar and strange, The Lookout gets better with repeated listens, warming to the skin like a cherished saddlebag, critical for the journey ahead.