Secretary Waltz
© Copyright-Joan W. Mendenhall
(634479051739)
Record Label: Spinster Records
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* 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
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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.
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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 :)
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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.
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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?
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