Press Quotes
March 2003 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine
by John Heidt
Cathy Grier Comin' Back To Me:
Playing songs with just your acoustic is certainly an art that some
of us never master well enough to make a full album. Cathy Grier
does not have that problem, whether playing fingerstyle blues, or
mixing poppy chords with her strong voice.
There are some great songs here. The title cut features nasty slide
and a great lyric. "Good Thing" is about as good as it gets. It's
blues-mama heaven. She can definitely find her way around a boogie,
with imaginative arrangements and some great follow through
playing.
Lyrically, the songs that deal with relationships are the
strongest. "What Fools Do" and "Stealing Hearts" tell great stories
to go along with her fine acoustic accompaniment.
Grier plays all the music on this CD on her 1944 Gibson SJ guitar,
and she definitely knows how to handle it. Her singing, brings out
the feeling of the songs, especially, in the relationship-themed
tunes. If you like folky, bluesy singer/songwriters, check it
out.
John Heidt
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PoetMan Records USA- Bryan Klausing
Co-Producer
www.acousticrainbow.com
Congratulations for making it on the Acoustic Rainbow Sampler. What
a great CD! You have all the grit of Robert Johnson, the sweetness
of Blind Willie mcTell and Keb' Mo', and the soulfulness of Bonnie
Raitt......
I loved your slide playing and lyrics on Lebanon. Your cover of the
Stevie Wonder tune is as good as it gets......
What Fools Do, I was
hooked the minute I heard the opening guitar passage. Your playing
and vocals are so passionate, and it has this great slow gritty
blues groove that needs to be heard by a global audience.
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Folkmusic listserve
Hello everyone,
I recently went to see Cathy Grier perform here in NYC. She was
playing outdoors in front of Pace University as part of a concert
featuring musicians who play underground, in the subways. I
originally met Cathy at the Folk Alliance convention in New Mexico.
I had liked what I heard back then. She had a bluesy-jazzy streak
to her music that was a little different from the typical
singer-songwriter. I think she may have been living in Southern
Florida but she moved to New York City some time ago and has been
making her living playing in the subway as part of the "Music Under
New York" program.
While I wouldn't care to do that myself, it's a situation that has
brought her many great things, including an appearance at Carnegie
Hall. More importantly, it has toughened up her performance skills
and her chops. She now has a gritty sound both in her voice and
harder edge to her guitar playing that is very appealing. Cathy has
released a new CD called "What
Fools Do" which she gave me a copy
of. It is her playing solo and I think it's worth a listen.
She has lots of bluesy love songs (I love the first cut which
features her playing slide guitar on "Keep Coming Back To Me") and
some interesting political music too (a song about Elian Gonzalez
called Elian the Spectacle).
She's worth checking out.
her website is www.cathygrier.com
Regards,
Robin Greenstein
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THE REAL UNDERGROUND
By Jacquie Brophy
I was completely taken over by the rich and powerful
voice of a
petite woman playing a guitar in the
first level of the subway. Her
sound was that of
an experienced musician, yet she played while
the
N train flew her by. I stood, listened for a
moment, and continued
on my way home. I would
see her here and there and I knew she
was
something special.
showbizdigest
July 2000
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One woman show Cathy Grier got her music and point across in the
Hunter
Center at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts Tuesday
night.
She opened with "Coming Back To Me," A hooky slide guitar number
that
created a template for much of her 11 song set. Some
concertgoers said she
reminded them a great deal of early Bonnie
Raitt shows they attended.
click for complete review
Tuesday August 3, 1999
Bruce Whitney
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Cathy Grier/Retracing
The bluesy folk stylings of Cathy Grier very quickly sets one to
tapping, snapping and humming along. Her quirky sounds with
politically correct themes bring infectious melodies to socially
relevant issues. This collection of tunes from Grier's portfolio
reflects her understanding of the audience's sensibilities as well
as their desire to be entertained. Grier is truly a musician with a
voice.
ORB Confidential The Musician's Trade Journal
Feb 1999
B. Cormier & G. Reitz
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The importance of being earnest
Grier carefully etches stories meant to prod listeners to action.
Grier hopes to inspire activism-as a singer and songwriter-through
her mix of gritty rock, sexy jazz, and dusty blues songs.
New York Blade News
August 28, 1998
Karen Iris Tucker
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Grier mixes folked-up blues with a political mind-set, and there's
more than a little funk in there too
Time Out New York
August 7-14, 1997
Smith Galtney
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Cathy Grier is versatile to the extreme... her folk/blues,
political sensibility and dynamite voice make for a powerful dose
of reality.
Grier is a storyteller drawing steely insistence and quavering
tenderness out of the same cigar box. Her guitar work tends towards
rhythm and blues, with elements of traditional folk and supercool
jazz riffs tossed in. One aspect that distinguishes her from other
performers is her concern with political and environmental issues,
layered over that blues/rock melodic base.
Hudson Current
May 29-June 4, 1997
Joe Del Priore
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Funkily melodic songs in a mature and assured style. American
abroad Cathy Grier purveys her quietly impressive songs, inflused
with a funky blues energy and mature sense of melody.
Time Out London
April 12-19 1995
Ross Fortune