Tracy & Bobby
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It's like Whiplash.....in a good way
This CD is a long awaited breath of fresh air!! From the first note it took me back to the days of smoky bars, cheap beer, and car rides home singing at the top of our voices. Carole's voice is the meaning of love sent through your ears. It's on a non-stop rotation in the stereo, and it doesn't matter what music you like....you'll like this.
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Audrey
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A
Excellent! I have seen the Walker Project several times around Cinci and wondered when we could expect an official release. This CD is wonderful!! The only gripes I have (and I am in no way an artist, so this is just my opinion and nothing else), are that I thought Move On sounded better on the free demo I picked up from the band over a year ago because it seemed a little faster and the vocals seemed more heartfelt and less rehearsed. And I was saddened that the song they do (I don't know the name) where she just sort of speaks the vocals (maybe it's called "broken"?) wasn't on there. It's a favorite. But I was really really impressed with the CD in all other aspects, and it will be one that I definitely recommend to others. These guys are really talented and have a sound that is truly their own. They aren't just some other version of another band, and they are definitely worth checking out.
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CityBeat Cincinnati, OH Mike Breen
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The long-awaited debut album from The Walker Project, You Can Be Yourself, is set for release on Sunday at Downtown's Alchemize. Eric Diedrichs, DJ Empirical and Embrya also perform at the release party.
The Walker Project has always been one of the best hard-to-categorize bands in town. Formed in 2001 as a duo, singer/guitarist Carole Walker and bassist Chris Walker (brother/sister, if you didn't already know) didn't try to fit into any particular scene, instead combining their broad influences for a varied sound that touches on Pop, Folk, Funk, Blues, Jazz, Soul and Rock, but ends up in a place that is all its own. Be Yourself won't appease the pigeonholers, as the group continues to defy precise classification. Now rounded out by drummer Tim Hensley, the Walkers pulled in guitarist John Gentry and keyboardist Phil Ritchey to add some rich textures to Be Yourself. Chris Walker has earned a reputation for being one of the best bass players in town, and on Be Yourself he shows his authoritative command of the instrument, be it tasteful anchoring or his distinct ability to play "busy" without being distracting. Carole Walker has been equally lauded for her soulful, lilting vocal ability, which get its calling card with Be Yourself (she can somehow occasionally sound like Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Ani DiFranco and Erykah Badu in the span of one line).
The songwriting on the debut is structurally strong, and Carole's lyrics, while at times overly ideological, have an introspective thoughtfulness that is charmingly charismatic. On Be Yourself, the group moves fluidly from smoky-bar Soul ("Move On"), to ethereal Funk ("Bulletproof") to sensual Folk/Pop ("Impatiently") to rousing Gospel ("Life Is Beautiful") like the versatile music veterans they are. The unadulterated intimacy of You Can Be Yourself is refreshing and rare, a seemingly effortless display of innate, natural musical instinct. (thewalkerproject.net)
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