Is anyone listening to Laura Cantrell?

Marty:

Laura's music is definitely worth the listen. There is a simplicity of style, a delicate, sweet voice, and a lack of angst, which I find very appealing.

She has put out 3 very good studio efforts:

Not the Tremblin' Kind (2000)
When the Roses Bloom Again (2002)
Humming by the Flowered Vine (2005)

There is also a live CD of early recordings (Hello Recordings) that her old label (Diesel Only) put out in 2004, which is so-so.

An intertesting tidbit is that Laura makes her home in Brooklyn (Williamsburg section). Great web-site with a nice selection of downloads.

Regards, Rich

Entrope:

That's actually the rub though ... there are so many sub-genres within the
Americana genre. Each sub-genre has its own characteristics. Whereas
Alison Krauss is more bluegrass than any other genre (think fiddle), Laura
Cantrall straddles traditional country and folk (think guitar). This is a sub-
genre that Laura shares with a Joan Baez, for example, but you couldn't find
two more diverse artists. Laura is in the tradition of a Nancy Griffith or a
Mary Chapin Carpenter ... a sweetish delicate voice singing songs about life
and nature. Laura is certainly no Allison Krauss (better musician) or Lucinda
Williams (different singing style and presence) ... but she does stand on her
own. What I find refreshing about Laura Cantrall is her laid backness.

There was a review of Bill Staines' "Second Million Miles" in last month's No
Depression magazine. The reviewer took Bill to task and dissed his album (a
greatest hits compilation, no less) because Bill is not an activist, like Bruce
Springsteen (the actual comparison). Staines is a champion yodeller and
storyteller, not a cultural icon.

With all this ... Laura Cantrall isn't overrated, just different ... a bit of a
throwback actually.

Regards, Rich