JOANIE MENDENHALL: Secretary Waltz

Joanie Mendenhall

Secretary Waltz

© 2004 Joan W. Mendenhall (634479051739)

CD OUT OF STOCK for re-production. Expect long delays.

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"A dulcet voice... A deep intelligence and fierce wit. She bares her soul but never in a gratuitously confessional manner."--San Diego Union Tribune

tracks

1 Trees by Your House
2 Give You
3 Mary Anne Waltz
4 Something Dirty
5 Patience is a Virtue
6 The Tragic Type
7 Not That Kind of Girl
8 It's Me Again
9 Zero
10 No One Ever Plays This Old Piano Since You're Gone
11 Loneliest Highway
12 Last Time I Saw You
13 City Window
14 Even Tho' It's Springtime
15 Everything, Nothing
16 Give Up

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notes

* CDs out of stock, Secretary Waltz is currently only available on iTunes.

This is Joanie Mendenhall's debut album, made in the summer of 2004. She set up shop in the garage and played a bunch of instruments - guitar, piano, drums, bass - and got some help from Exfriends members Ray Suen on violin, Pete Hamilton on upright bass, and Matt Curreri on drums.

Joanie is also a member of Matt Curreri & The Exfriends.

* San Diego Music Award Finalist for "Best Local Recording"

Reviews for Secretary Waltz:

"A thoroughly charming debut that begs for repeated listens... From plinking piano lines on a Rhodes to the folksy tones of a fiddle, fuzzed-out guitar to jazz-inflected upright bass, her lo-fi compositions are rich with texture and rife with catchy melodies... A dulcet voice, pure in pitch and beautifully earnest... a deep intelligence and a fierce wit."--SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE

"Her molasses tongue, shimmering neo-folk waltzes and heroic suffering will fascinate you. Mendenhall never drowns in her suffering, for her musical landscape -- whether it's composed of upbeat, violin-driven shuffles, lo-fi guitar-filtered wavers or jazzy-bent, bass-heavy stomps -- gains an extra charge from her refreshingly sophisticated lyrics."--SPLENDID MAGAZINE

"Wholly engaging original songs... Think Aimee Mann or Rilo Kiley..."--SAN LUIS OBISPO NEW TIMES

"A kick-ass multi- instrumentalist singer-songwriter...an abundance of heart to accompany a remarkable voice" --SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT

"Secretary Waltz is a stunning record, one that spans a dozen emotions and wraps them in Rhodes piano tremolo, faint lo-fi guitar and slow dance at the end of the night suggestions." --THE MUSIC EDGE .com

"Mendenhall's soft voice and scatterbrained charm belies the powerfulness of her lyrics on this debut album." --SAN DIEGO READER

reviews

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  • an exciting find
    author: Julie

    Would have given this album 5 stars were it not for one or two songs I didn't like (the ones where Joanie's voice is made to sound like an electronic version of itself). Love the waltz feel of most of the songs; lends them an eccentricity as well as authenticity that they might otherwise lack. Voice and style reminds me a bit of Erin McKeown too.

  • compelling and effortless musical style
    author: nancy kelly

    the songs on secretary waltz each have a compelling reason to return again. great writing, effortless guitar and piano playing, sings like she's not trying to be angelic but her voice is simply that without being too sweet. i'm really glad i bought this record and would recommend it to my friends and family :)

  • Joanie Mendenhall's quiet, precise voice and soaring melodies are addictive and
    author: NYC fan

    This CD is fantastic. It makes my other music sound false, trite and overproduced. Joanie Mendenhall's quiet, precise voice and soaring melodies are addictive and energizing - I ran 6 miles though Central Park listening to this CD yesterday (I think the waltz tempo helped too). The lyrics are clever and relevant. I love how she admits "I'm a low budget writer - I always refer to my favorite broken heart." Also perfect: "I'm 24, it's the year of the horse, and this one rides like a dream." Like someone else wrote, I can't imagine not owning this CD. I also can't imagine that Joanie Mendenhall won't be really famous someday.

  • Amazingly good
    author: clint

    This is an amazing album. I'm afraid I'm not much of a musician myself, so can't comment on the technical details, but as it was famously said, "I know what I like", and what I like are artists like Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Sarah MacLaughlan, . . . and Joanie Mendenhall. Truly great. When's the next album out, dammit?

  • author: Hazel Read

    Really cool mellow sound. Enjoyed it very much.

  • Excellent
    author: Jessica

    I love this CD and have been listening to it non-stop... and when I'm not listening to it, the tracks are playing in my head. I love the variety of all of the songs, but as of now my favorite track is The Last Time that I Saw You.

  • fantastic album!

    I was very pleased after listening to this CD, which I bought after hearing her play at a benefit for the Katrina hurricane victims in San Diego. I can truly relate to many of her lyrics. Her voice is sweet and sincere and her songs are catchy without getting tiresome. How truly impressive that she played most of the instruments and wrote all of the lyrics herself!

  • great all around
    author: Paige

    I found out about Joanie and her music because i had just happened to be at the "concert in the parking lot" at giacoletti music where she teaches and i also work. i absolutley fell in love with her music and got her CD that day. i can not imagine not having it. it is one of the best all around CDs i have ever had the privallege to own. never gets old. her lyrics are so beautiful and personal. they make you feel like you can actually relate. Not to mention her excellent voice. Not the typical album. I absolutley love it. she is also a great person to go along with it, which makes this the real deal. very genuine.

  • Simply Beautiful!
    author: Kate Sikora

    I "met" Joanie on myspace and thought she was amazing...then I put my own music up on cdbaby and there she is again as a link to other artist within my genre. We traded cds and not only do I find her arrangements to be perfect...but I feel like I can really relate to her lyrics. I can't stop listening to the cd (nor do I want to!)I'm flattered to be sharing a musical genre with her!

  • a nice, solid and promising debut
    author: Hugues Orsetti

    How funny is that: I went to Joanie's music after I discovered the talented Matt Curreri, I had gone to Matt's music after I discovered his talented brother Paul, and I'd gone to Paul's music after I discovered the talented Devon Sproule! The music of this CD is nice and pleasant, solid and promising. Joanie's melodies are mostly discreet and tasty, well structured, delivered with an agreeable, cosy voice. It may lack catchiness at times, as not much tunes sticked to my mind after several listens, but it's always pleasant and lovely, and some tracks like "Trees By Your House", "Give Me" and "Zero" are first-rate. I recommend this CD to fans of Aimee Mann and Laura Veirs, and to fans of Matt Curreri, of course. Question: is there another Curreri brother with a talented girlfriend around? I'm interested. ;o)

  • It gets stuck in your head and can't get out!!
    author: Markel

    I bought this CD about a week ago, and it has spent a lot of time in my CD player. An intriguing combination of influences permeate this infectious collection. Joanie exhibits great songwriting ability and lots of God-given talent. How else to explain the lush richness of her voice? A really, really good effort that shows off her skills quite well.

  • haunting vocals paired with truly impressive songwriting
    author: chloe

    this cd articulates perfectly those moments you always wish you could capture so accurately and beautifully. while i have my favorites (patience is a virtue, last time i saw you), the composite is seamless.

  • melodical jazz with a great voice to back it up.
    author: Justin

    this cd is really good.. i find something new each time i listen to it,powerful vocals backup wonderful melodic sounds. Lets hope she hit's up all her east coast fans.many mnay props. peace

  • For the Mend and the Womenden
    author: Reina Boone

    Inspiring. Make my feet giddy and want to do the snoopy dance. Great arrangements... Artistic, balanced chaos at times, then soulful and entrancing. Love it.

  • wise & entertaining lyrics, a great voice, & nice arrangements.
    author: mark

    from the dark opening bars of 'trees by your house' to the witty bitterness of 'patience is a virtue' to the lullabye beauty of 'city window', this is just perfect.

  • So gorgeous!
    author: Correatown

    I love Joanie Mendenhall. Her voice makes my chest kind of do this thing where it presses in & aches & hurts a little (in that way that happens when you watch a movie and the people are so in love but they just won't get it together heartache-y hurt way) ... because what you are hearing is honest, genuine, sincere and just plain beautiful. The songs on this album are that- just plain beautiful.

  • This Secretary is gonna Waltz right into your flippin' heart!
    author: Skip Wrinkle

    Joanie Mendenhall, Secretary, Writer, Singer, Sister, Daughter, Classically Trained Multi-Instruementalist and professional cookie chef is truely a San Diego treasure. This album is the bees knees folks, and let me tell you why: she did it herself. Joanie recorded this album, played most of the instruments, designed the artwork and even put on a hard hat to run the machine that prints the cd's! Just kidding about that last one...but even Beyonce would have to give mad props to this "Independent Woman" in public, but I'll tell you, that in private, she'd be envious as hell of Joanie's awesome songwriting talent. Buy Secretary Waltz you guys, and if you don't like it come find me and I'LL give you your money back myself!

  • truly innovative songwriting, a soothing voice, & intelligently ecclectic instru
    author: jen

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