“…Evokes "Mind Games" Lennon to the lighter side of My Morning Jacket.”
- Deli Magazine LA
For the better part of the last two years, Los Angeles singer-songwriter Coby Brown has been writing and recording the songs on his latest release, Stars and Curses. For Brown -- who spent most of his energy in 2006 going through cancer treatment for Ewing's Sarcoma (and all of 2007 recovering from it) Stars & Curses is a new start. " I'm a lot clearer on what I want to do now and how I want to do it. I definitely hear a clock ticking."
Stars&Curses was produced by Will Golden (Gary Jules, Meiko, Buddy) and features guest turns from David Immergluck (John Hiatt, Counting Crows), and Ollie Kraus(Sia,Tom McCrae).
Says Brown, "We really took our time and were able to have all these great players come in. Will and I had talked long ago about doing some work together, but the timing had never worked out. Thankfully, this time it did."
Performing Songwriter calls Stars&Curses “…awash with atmosphere… all shimmer and seduction,” and Bullz-eye.com says “Fans of artists like Josh Rouse and Josh Ritter will find a lot to love here; Brown’s voice is strong and slightly reedy around the edges, giving the music just enough homespun edge to keep things grounded….”
Brown also recently cowrote and performed the song “Edge of Man” which appears over the end credits of director Rod Lurie’s (the Contender) latest feature “Nothing but the Truth” . Look for some of the songs from Stars&Curses in the indie feature films “Wake” and “The River Why. “
Press for Stars & Curses
Deli magazine LA
The indie/folk singer/songwriter coated his latest release, "Stars and Curses", with warm organs, tender vocals, biting lyric and often somber but poignant guitar chops that evoke "Mind Games" Lennon to the lighter side of My Morning Jacket. Brown wrote these gems while undergoing cancer treatment, testament to the true spirit of turning ailing ashes to artistic clovers. Coby Brown plays the Hotel Cafe every Tuesday at 9PM for the month of January. 21+. - Hugo Gomez
Bullz-eye.com
Building a career as an indie musician is hard enough without having to deal with serious real-world issues – like, say, being diagnosed with cancer – but those are exactly the cards that Coby Brown was dealt a few years ago. To his credit, Brown took his diagnosis in stride, releasing an EP (2007’s Time Is Now) that whetted appetites for his first full-length, Stars & Curses. Happily, Curses delivers on Time’s promise, offering up 10 pleasantly polished cuts of gently woven singer/songwriter pop goodness. Brown’s style isn’t showy – he leads off with the somber-to-a-fault “4th of July,” and on a number of tracks, he drenches his vocals in wide swaths of reverb – but the songs speak for themselves. Fans of artists like Josh Rouse and Josh Ritter will find a lot to love here; Brown’s voice is strong and slightly reedy around the edges, giving the music just enough homespun edge to keep things grounded…. Give it time – it’ll grow on you and refuse to let go. (self-released 2009)
Jeff Giles_2/3/2009
Pasadena Weekly
Cancer survivor Brown rallies back on his handsomely produced new full-length with compelling pop melodies, soulful vocals and occasionally spiked lyrics. The jaunty “Drop Down Dead” rants against “Jello, blood, morphine [and] nurses,” and the dreamy “Sunday” makes you wish the weekend would get here before the last note resonates from Ollie Krauss’ cello. The music’s hopeful, but Brown remains cautious: “Good times never last/ And if you think they do/ I’ve got some things to sell to you.” Playing Hotel Café Tuesdays throughout January.
By Bliss 01/22/2009
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