Album Notes

From the driving backbeat and throaty slide guitar on the anthem of emancipation that is the title track, you know right away that Open Road is not just another new indie release. But the clincher on the deal is when you get a load of Deanna Cartea's unique voice, at once powerful and incredibly delicate, conveying the broad range from open-hearted vulnerability to wide-open-throttle lust for life, all with the texture of smoked silk. Featuring top-drawer sidemen like Jay Johnson on drums and Tim Hearsey on lead guitar, the playing is fine, as is Ms. Cartea's own acoustic guitar work - the backbone of every track. The album defies genre classification - somewhere between semi-acoustic rockabilly, alt-country and soul-folk. Her solid songwriting and honest delivery enable Deanna to define her own style.