[1] Soulfully (C.Curtis) - 4:33
[2] I Don't Cry Anymore (C.Curtis) - 5:11
[3] River Winding (C.Curtis) - 3:50
[4] Falling Silent in the Dark (C.Curtis) - 3:42
[5] Heros (C.Curtis) - 3:36
[6] Forgiveness (C.Curtis) - 2:59
[7] I Still Want To (C.Curtis) - 3:46
[8] Memphis (C.Curtis) - 3:36
[9] The Truth Is (C.Curtis) - 3:09
[10] Do Unto Others (C.Curtis) - 3:58
[11] Larry (C.Curtis) - 4:43
[12] Come to Me (C.Curtis) - 3:07
1997 CD Capitol 57209
1997 CS Capitol 57209B
2000 CD Rykodisc RCD 10602
The self-titled album has a very different, dare I say, "commercial"
feel, as opposed to Truth from Lies. The sound is different; more
complex, with the acoustic instrumentation less prominent; it's less
"folky." In fact, at first it seems nearly more of a pop disc than a
folk outing. But!! It's deserving of no less praise than her previous
release; it's simply different, evolved: Where the previous disc was
intimate, this one's adventurous. Where the previous disc was a bit
naive, this one is worldly. Where the previous disc's focus was
primarily word pictures, this one shows more concern with letting the
music produce a mood-setting parchment to house the lyrics. Much of
this pop flavor can be attributed to producer Roy Bittan, who plays
keyboards on the disc as he did for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
But the disc's players have much to do with that feel also. Kenny
Aronoff, who has spent time with both John Mellencamp and Melissa
Ethridge, plays drums. Tony Levin, known for work with Peter Gabriel,
plays bass. But a strong acoustic connection's maintained by the use of
Jimmy Ryan on mandolin, he of Blood Oranges and Wooden Leg fame.
Incidentally, the arrangement for the strong section on "Falling Silent
in the Dark" was written by David Campbell, Beck's dad. In the end, the
heart of Catie's work remains mostly unchanged, with the focus still on
the writing and the singing.
Catie Curtis looses none of her emotional impact or subtle songcraft on
her eponymous major-label debut. Working with a full band featuring Roy
Bittan and Lee Sklar, as well as a host of horns, synths and drum
machines, Curtis nevertheless is able to keep the music sound honest
and direct, matching its impact with the emotional tone of the lyrics.
Some longtime fans may find the production to be a little too smooth,
but it helps put Curtis' talent in sharp relief.
Originally released in 1997 on the defunct Guardian label, Catie
Curtis's second album marked her arrival as one of the most tuneful and
perceptive songwriters of the Lilith generation. Matched with producer
Roy Bittan of Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band, Curtis's songs of
emotional and spiritual recovery drew on her background as a social
worker and, of all things, a drummer. The beat-savvy layers may be
handled by session pro Kenny Aronoff and drum programmer George
Black--Curtis does supply pizza box percussion on "I Don't Cry
Anymore"--but they blend sympathetically with Curtis's percussive
guitar work and Bittan's spacious piano- and mandolin-rich production.
Along with Triple-A radio hit "Soulfully" (featured in Dawson's Creek),
songs like "River Winding" and "Memphis" suggest a witty and wistful
narrative ambition that separates her from her acoustic-aimed peers.
Roy Kasten - Amazon.com
Catie Curtis ist das 1997 entstandene, zweite Album der aus dem
Neuenglandstaat Maine kommenden amerikanischen Songwriterin Catie
Curtis, die mit ihrem dritten Werk "A Crash Course In Roses" auch das
breite Publikum erreicht hat. Nach dessen Erfolg sind 2000 die ersten
beiden, vergriffenen Alben der Musikerin -- "Truth From Lies" (1995)
heisst das Debüt -- wiederveröffentlicht worden. Sehr elegant
pendelt Catie Curtis auch auf diesem Album zwischen Rock, Pop, Folk und
ein wenig Country. Schon der Opener, das herrliche "Soulfully" mit
seinem dezenten Dancebeat ist ein echter Hit. Kein Wunder, hatte
"Soulfully" damals gleich Aufnahme in zwei populäre TV-Serien
gefunden: "Dawson's Creek" und "Chicgao Hope". Doch auch der Rest, den
die "Folk Rock Goddess", so die renommierte amerikanische Wochenzeitung
"New Yorker" über die Songwriterin, hier aus dem Ärmel
schüttelt, ist bezaubernd. Anspruchsvolle Lovesongs stehen
Kindheitserinnerungen gegenüber, die Catie Curtis mit ihrer hohen,
sehr angenehmen Stimme singt. Musikalisch bildet die Musikerin in etwa
die Schnittmenge zwischen K.D.Lang und Emmylou Harris, Sherryl Crow und
Alannis Morrissette. Gleichwohl kommt das Album nicht ganz an die
Klasse des späteren Werkes, "A Crash Course In Roses", heran. Das
ist das ideale Einstiegswerk in die Welt der Catie Curtis.
Thomas Bohnet - Amazon.de
Why, one wonders, have Catie Curtis' first two, formerly out-of-print
albums been re-released by her new record label, which only just put
out her third album, A Crash Course in Roses? Whilst the reissue of her
debut, Truth From Lies, is an enhanced version (with a bonus video
track, "Radical"), Curtis' 1997 self-titled sophomore work is left as
is. And that's just fine, as Curtis' capitalizes on all she learned
while making her debut and adds a keenly felt note of confidence in
expressing these seemingly personal, yet universal homilies.
Strong and resounding both in sound and vision, without being
segregated, Catie Curtis takes a strong female perspective. However,
this set is neither wistful nor ultrafeminist; nor is it edgy or
dressed with any of the stylistic hankerings of much '90s-era
pop-flavored girl-folk.
A clear thinker and a straight talker, Curtis sounds off about
relationships and all the usual stuff that litters daily lives.
Gracefully, she spins a catchy hook into the chorus of "Falling Silent
in the Dark" and creates a mantra. She purposefully opens "Heroes" with
a resounding guitar passage, instantly creating a populist anthem.
Though her delivery and the fulsome instrumentation (courtesy of a
notable backing band) adds charm to such love-worn daydreams as "I
Still Want To" and forgiving life stories, including the dusty,
R&B-colored "Memphis," these non-melodramatic tales are themselves
compelling.
Yet lyrics and performance are easily brushed aside by Curtis' vocal
powers. Her seductive, velvet swoon with breathy, haunting undertones
is immediately embracing on the dance-beat-sprinkled opening track,
"Soulfully." That the grip holds fast till the last tale is told is
exactly why Catie Curtis is dusted off once more. Obviously this is
simply too good to languish unheard.
Catie Curtis's fans know her as one of folk music's most promising
voices. Her new self-titled album (her second for Guardian) hardly
leaves her folk roots behind, but the opening track and first single,
"Soulfully," goes out of its way to incorporate lush, pop-leaning
production and a decidedly non-folk hip-hop rhythm. Some tasteful
production decisions made by former E-Street Band pianist Roy Bittan
contribute to Curtis's hip sound here, but even stripped bare, her
latest songs are marked by clear pop hooks. "River Winding" gets my
vote for second single, its loping groove accented by crisp tape loops
and an eerie melody that cuts straight to the heart. "River" details
the struggle of life in a former mill town that's quickly becoming a
ghost town. The gripping "Falling Silent In The Dark" is the album's
ballad, featuring backing vocals by former member of the Story,
Jennifer Kimball. Kimball is just one of several stellar guests
appearing here: Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel and King Crimson bassist),
Kenny Aronoff (John Cougar and Melissa Etheridge drummer), Jimmy Ryan
(Blood Oranges and Wooden Leg mandolinist) and Bittan back-up Curtis's
vocals, which sit comfortably between those of Joni Mitchell and Laura
Nyro. Also don't miss the humorous "Memphis," a song about being lonely
in a Southern motel while an undiscovered soulmate waits in New Jersey.