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Mitzi Cowell : Ways and Means
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Hot Tucson blues guitar player gets politically riled up. Another funky, swampy, rocking, atmospheric effort from a deep thinker and feeler.
Genre: Rock: Funk Rock
Release Date: 2006
Ways and Means Record Label: Mitzi Cowell
  • Download Album (MP3) - $9.99
  • Buy CD - $12.00
SPECIAL: 30% discount if you buy more than one copy of it today!
Preview Song Name Time Format Price Select
Flip (The Powers That Be) 3:40 $0.99
Hard to Know 3:01 $0.99
Belly of the Beast 3:55 $0.99
Refugees 4:42 $0.99
Hoodwinked / The Welfare Reform Strut 5:17 $0.99
Before Forever 4:17 $0.99
The Words 4:57 $0.99
Life is a Freak Show 5:25 $0.99
Home From the War 4:01 $0.99
Twinkle 4:56 $0.99
Mattie 5:34 $0.99
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Album Notes

Mitzi’s gone political. (Gee, I wonder why? See below.)

OK, the lyrical content is about half topical, half more personal, all still rooted in the blues and gazing at the stars. (And where is the line between the political and the personal these days anyway?)

Still basking in her recent involvement in two other excellent productions – as co-producer of Cantrell Maryott’s “Moving, Not Leaving” and with abundant creative input in the Carnivaleros’ “Lost in the Graveyard” (both here on CD Baby) – Mitzi is proud to present her first completely self-produced CD.

This one includes more driving rock numbers than her previous CD “33,” but still includes the genre-fluid Mitzi Mix of styles and sounds, glued together with a blues sensibility and passionate guitar workouts. For rockers try Refugees, Flip, Home from the War, Mattie, and Hard to Know. Hoodwinked is an understated Meters-y satire that ends in the full-out release of the Welfare Reform Strut. (You gotta buy it to hear that part, though - wink!) Belly of the Beast is in a reggae stylie, Life is a Freak Show is whimsical, Twinkle is astronomy-rock, Before Forever and The Words are mellow introspections.

"Most of the topical numbers on this CD exploded out of me right after the 2004 'selection.' I had been doing Get Out The Vote work here in Tucson and in southern New Mexico, driving back and forth through the night, slamming Monster energy drinks and blasting U2's Achtung Baby over and over on my car stereo. I was pumped.

After November 2, I was full of grief for my country and the world, but I was also very excited about the new energy and cohesiveness of the progressive movement - mirroring my own recent awakening to social justice work.

So I'm offering this music as more fuel for the fire of the movement. Please use it."

Want to check out the lyrics? Go to http://wmlyrics.blogspot.com

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REVIEWS

Vocal and Instrumental Freedom Showcased by Expert Songwriting Musician.
author: Art Spellissy
When Mitzi Cowell sits in with a band on stage, she doesn't need to take the spotlight at center stage. Soon it becomes apparent that playing guitar so well has gained Mitzi alot of fans, pleasing them always with the drive and passion she brings to her performances. Just as Mitzi reserves some of her best performances on stage to those fleeting, chancy and intuitive opportunities to wow her listeners, her talent is showcased in Ways and Means. On track after track Mitzi reminds us that songwriting and musical performance are dependent on experience and passion in a musician who is comfortable in the live venue. With each original composition she provides the heat, drive and structure to reveal her vocal and instrumental talent. In the process Mitzi convinces us of the power of her lyrics, delivered in the free and intuitive style of her art.
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WOW!!!!
author: Mark Koehorst
I absolutely love Mitzi's '33', and I was a little worried her new album might be a disappointment, but her new album is even better! I am totally in love with it. It is so totally passionate and heart-felt, while it has a musicial depth you very rarely find, even in the classic albums of the past. And everything still has this rootsy bluesy honesty at its base, so the appeal is instant. There is not one note that I don't immediately 'get'. Mitzi, your new album totally blew me away and I will be playing it a lot, probably even more than '33'!
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