Album Notes

Folkcrunch Review by Billie Dove.

"Charlotte Thistle Band gives us another treasure trove of gems with the new CD release Wild Wind.

"Wild Wind follows Charlotte's suburb 2005 release A Girl With A Guitar and both her voice and musical style have matured nicely. The first track on the disc, What if I'd Stayed, grabbed my ears and pulled me in right away. It's the perfect song to listen to alone on a dark, rainy night and the lyrics alternately brought a feeling of melancholy and a smile to my face. The clarinet on this tune gives a nice and different touch - a smoky, jazz club feel that really gets under your skin. Coward is another track that stands out and also has a jazz feel within the vocals and Andy Short's bass line.

"Charlotte is an excellent lyricist and her song writing is genuine and thought provoking without being abrasive. This really comes through on Dare To Resist. My favorite track on the album, Dare To Resist, has a gypsy guitar style I love and is a wonderful and emotionally powerful song. Dare to Resist brings vivid imagery to mind that pulls at the heart and Ann Petry's 1946 novel The Street immediately came to mind.

"Light A Fire also got under my skin and transported me, bringing a vision of New York City's streets; the sights, smell, and sounds coming vividly to my mind. Charlotte channels the Jazz Chanteuse on Lap of Luxury and, once again, Joel Tepp's clarinet adds an excellent touch. The title track Wild Wind brings a nice, rounded finish to the album with a country-tinged story song.

"Although recorded with a band, the other musicians accompany Charlotte without drowning her out - something that can be hard for an acoustic artist to achieve in the recording process. The seasoned and talented cast of players: Andy Short on bass; Joel Tepp playing clarinet; and Russ Johnson in a variety of roles, support Charlotte's singing and guitar work without being overbearing - a true group effort. Wild Wind is a complete, thoughtful and genuine recording that comes from a true artist. [The CD also features beautiful cover art from the late Brenda Zager] For a night of Real Music, and to get your own copy of Wild Wind, get on down to Conor Byrne on Friday, April 2 for the CD Release Party."

http://folkcrunch.blogspot.com/2010/03/charlotte-thistle-wild-wind.html