This music has a haunting quality that really excites me.  Chris has a unique style that will live on and on.
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Chris Volpe was either so confident or so broke that he headed into the studio and recorded Refugee Blues in one take, something few musicians would attempt these days. Lucky for him, he's good enough to pull it off and in fact pulls it off beautifully. With a fine voice, a harmonica straight off of the streets of 60s Greenwich Village and a finger picking style which blends extremely well with his songs, he lays out no less than fifteen originals, some ghosting the days on Bleecker and MacDougall, some echoing the cult days of John Fahey and Leo Kottke and all with a signature which is quickly marking Volpe a performer to watch.

If anything sets Volpe apart from his folk contemporaries, it is his ability to weave voice and guitar into a larger whole. While lulling you with effortless vocals, he finger picks his way around the melody until the guitar becomes much more than an instrument of chord progressions. Only later are you aware that the songs reverberating in your head rely on those picked notes which at first seemed like mere accompaniment. Call it an epiphany. Listen enough and you'll get there, I guarantee.

While all songs on the CD are worthy of mention, a few stand out: Shoes for its fine vocal performance and unique picking; The Bandwagon Farm for its eerie feel reminiscent of the psych/folk scene of the late 60s and early 70s; Wait 'til Tomorrow because it's just a damn fine tune; Where the Rubber Meets the Road because it steps out a bit further than others of its ilk. 

Envision the street folkie, harmonica held by that strange contraption around the neck, fingers dancing spiderlike along the neck, voice not unlike that of Randy Burns and Tom Rush and a handful of others but better able to carry a tune. That is Chris Volpe. If that sounds like where your ears are, you will most certainly hear this. In fact, I'd lost my Randy Burns ESP-disk albums until just shortly before receiving this. Refugee Blues brings back some great memories while creating some of its own. 

After hearing this, all I can say is long live the finger picker.
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"I’m running blindly, I don’t really know from what
I’ve been living my whole life like some phrase at the tip of my tongue"

* Chris Volpe, "Shoes" from the "Refugee Blues" cd

It's been a banner year for Chris Volpe, the self-taught Sanfrancisco-based singer, songwriter and guitarist. Following the release if his self-produced cd "Refugee Blues", Volpe has won the Best Album/Folk-Singer-Songwriter in the 2006 at the Independent Music Awards, the Best Singer/Songwriter 2006 at London's international Singer-Songwriter Awards, and honorable mentions from both the John Lennon and Billboard's songwriting contests.

As he reveals on MySpace page, it has not been an easy road to success. With "Refugee Blues," Volpe explores his rites of passage as a struggling artist in New York City ("Jersey Sun"), his lonliness on the road while touring ("Refugee _Blues"), and his own self-reflection ("Shoes"), all with poetic musings and a voice that would make the likes of Paul Simon proud.

Check out the Leo Kottke-finger picking "Shoes" and Dylan-inspired lyrics, and more of his work at MySpace and take a test drive yourself. You won't be disappointed.
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- An acoustic guitar lovers’ delight describes Chris Volpe’s “Refugee Blues.” While many of the songs sound the same, the lyrics discern each track with their uniqueness and double meanings, making this album a must-have. “Shoes,” is a ballad about hiding from one’s misfortunes with lines like, “I’m runnin’ madly, I don’t really know from what. I’ve been livin’ my whole life like some phrase trapped at the tip of my tongue. Don’t really know how to say it, it's always just out of reach, stay locked away in my larynx along with my freedom of speech.”

“Wait ‘Til Tomorrow,” is faster and has more of a country flow with lines like, “I’ve seen enough, it’s been long and cold. We all have our breakin’ point.” “1849 Revisited,” is a unique title for a song and its lyrics speak about interpretation with lines like, “Always look the other way, they’ll tell you, of course what other means is yours to prove….in proclamations meant to guide my move.” Volpe’s somber voice lends a deep understanding to his lyrics and the assumption that they have a hidden meaning behind them. If you are a fan of thought-provoking lyrics and acoustic guitar play, then pick up Chris Volpe’s “Refugee Blues,” you will be glad you did.
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