Album Notes

"When the bond between Heaven and Earth is broken, even a prayer is not enough. Only a story can mend it." -The Baal Shem Tov

One of today's truly original folk artists, Maggie Simpson weaves her songs, stories, dynamic guitar playing and mesmerizing voice into a performance you won't want to miss. Her music and stories are both powerful and celebratory. Her song writing reveals a complex, sophisticated rhythmic and harmonic sense but springs from a raw innocence that keeps it tuneful and accessible. Simpson has also built a name for herself in the folk world as a performance teacher at Planet Bluegrass' Song School in Colorado. In her own performances she masterfully taps that innate wealth of feeling, expression, nuance and magic that she teaches her students how to access. Maggie offers a rare performance.

"Quotes..."

"Simpson is not your average folkie. Slapping her 12-string guitar for additional percussion, she changes the tempos often. Expressive and unique, her voice slinks around the chords of her guitar with controlled looseness. A solo debut (CD), OK Cafe is a clever hybrid of styles that the listener will find intriguing. Whether she moves into a ballad, slips into a funk-inflected expanse or some ethereal territory, her muse is constantly complex and rewarding."
-Dirty Linen Music Magazine, January 2001

"That girl can sing. Don't mess around. See her."
-Vance Gilbert

"Maggie kept me guessing, delighted me, surprised me, taught me, inspired me, and entertained me profoundly... I thought of a 'Big Bad Blues Bully' (a hot ticket on the blues circuit) and realized how this diminutive dryad (Simpson) had just kicked his ass and stole his wallet.
-Carl's Harp Talk (Online Blues Newsletter)

"...a magnificent clarion voice and a twelve string guitar that never backs down...songs that push human issues and complicated emotions into the realm of instructive parable...and generous helpings of joy."
-Pinedale Roundup

"The music pours out like there is no tomorrow. The songs are well crafted and musical, but it's the voice that grabs you and wraps them into your heart forever. Maggie sings like she is in a trance. Her smile and charm is unforgettable and her voice will send chills."
-Scott Arbough, Music director - KBCO. Boulder CO

"Simpson is a soulful, full-of-feeling songwriter."
-Denver Post

"Maggie walked me through a song I thought I knew. Now the song has so much more room in it; room for wonder and sun to come through. I want to bring every song to her."
-David Wilcox

FANS

"Maggie's spoken/sung acappella piece made me cry. Her stories and music give me hope." - Julia, Laramie, WY.

"Maggie's passion is great. Her music makes me feel like that moment on a roller coaster at the highest point before it goes down - exciting, energizing! (She is) more talented than any singer I have ever seen." - Shannon B., R.D. Denver, CO.

"Watching Maggie is a lesson in learning to be totally free!" - Rebecca B., Boulder CO.

"You give me as many or more goose bumps on my arm when you sing as Martin Sexton does." Martin Sexton fan

"Maggie's CD accompanies me on my subway/bus commute and puts a spring in my step." - Deborah D., Boston, MA.

"The imagery! When she tells a story and then sings the song, that is where she is so remarkable." - Breeana P., The Arts