Album Notes

THE WASHINGTON POST review by Mike Joyce ~ (Friday, September 13, 1996!)
The daughter of folksinger Ann Mayo Muir, Christina Muir calls herself a "free ranging bird" in her liner notes to her new album, "Feet First." The description seems particularly apt in light of her music, with its restless spirit and graceful turns.
Although Muir posesses a warm and lovely voice, it's her talent as a writer that shines brightest and produces most of the albums highlights. Among these are "Begin With The End," "Moonchild," "Feline Felony,"and "Strawberries" -- songs which demonstrate Muir's ability to write introspective lyrics without sounding self-absorbed and whimsical ballads without sounding precious. One moment she's baring her soul with candor and poetry, the next she's conjuring dreamscapes with soft-spun harmonies and clever wordplay. If her feet seem firmly planted on the ground at times, just as often her head and heart are adrift in the sky.
The shifting moods are frequently enhanced by Muir's guitar and dulcimer as well as a fine cast of musicians who sometimes fashion chamber-folk settings. Yet even on paper, some of Muir's best songs have an honesty and charm that 's hard to resist.

DIRTY LINEN MAGAZINE Review by Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL) ~ Issue #73, January 1998
"Feet First" is the first solo CD by Muir, the talented daughter of Ann Mayo Muir. Her full, throaty vocals are charming, as are the dozen Muir originals featured here. The happy, multi-tracked "Begin With The End" sounds a lot like Hot Soup. The timeless, autumnal "As One" sounds like it belongs in the Public Domain. Two lilting instrumentals, "Gideon's Dream" and "Gathering The Night" show off Muir's fretboard prowess. The dreamy "Moonchild" reminds me of a classic Incredible String Band. A lot of care obviously went into this nice, diverse CD.

VICTORY MUSIC REVIEW MAGAZINE by Nicki De ~ Volume 22, #6 June 1997
Cast as "original songs of flight & healing, love & landing," Muir's album, fulfills the promise and continues the legacy of her mother, folksinger Ann Mayo Muir. From clever shorts like "Feline Felony," to intriguing instrumentals of guitar and cello, "Gideon's Dream," Muir's precision and melodic excellence is undaunted. My favorite is the enchanting "Strawberries," a song that lends itself to novels and paintings. But I wouldn't cut out the entirely fun song with the French accent, "The Cat's Meow." It all goes to prove, you can land gracefully when entering the world "Feet First."

THE BOSTON GLOBE wrote of FEET FIRST "...sweet-voiced and spirit-rich"

All Songs Copyright by Christina Muir in 1996 Gaining Ground Collection

MUSICIANS
Christina Muir ~ vocals, acoustic guitar, mountain dulcimer - www.HotSoupTrio.com
Eric Garrison ~ electric guitar, percussion, synthesizer - www.ericgarrison.net
Scott Petitio ~ fretless bass - www.scottpetitoproductions.com
Rick Schmidt ~ violin, viola - Takoma Park, MD
Gideon Freudmann ~ cello - www.cellobop.com

Produced by Christina Muir & Eric Garrison
Recording by Eric Garrison
Mixing and additional recording by Mike Harvey - www.actiondale.com
Digitally mastered by Mark Edmondson - www.linkedin.com/in/markedmond
Manufactured by Oasis Recording, Inc.