It is encouraging to see talent like this, particularly with uncertain times ahead for the country. Observers, recorders, and commentators on real American life are needed, and Blakeslee shows plenty of potential to become an important contributor.
“The ten songs on [Bones] come quietly, like strangers rapping softly on the window. Their beauty builds slowly. Blakeslee is adept here at shaping lush backdrops for her stories... Blakeslee is a performer to appreciate as much for her eye, as she surveys what's around her, as for her honey-toned voice.”
Heather Shayne Blakeslee’s music melds contemporary folk rock with darker themes and the smell of Autumn. While most of the songs are centered around her acoustic guitar and luxurious voice, the album benefits from its minimal instrumental accompaniment and its crystal clear production... Blakeslee has created an album that is soft, dark, feminine and mature.
Bones by Heather Shayne Blakeslee is an album by a woman who knows exactly what she is doing. Bones is a solid debut by a powerful new voice. She, her guitar, her story songs, and a few friends for depth of sound add up to a full experience. Her music runs the gamut of blues, country blues, and straight folk, but her lyrics and her ability to get inside the mind of her characters are what really bring this above the norm.
[Treon's Cute Rate] a ring of Natalie Merchant in the 10,000 Manics part of her career…a complex mixture of folk, blues and even, country. The lyrics are more like storytelling; strong and real. Her music is positive and overwhelmingly beautiful … as intimate as a lullaby and as gritty as a roadhouse. It’s got some real character. Pop this in next time you're cruising down Route 66.”
The Scoop: Contemporary folk rock with a cast of downtrodden characters.... Blakeslee keeps her songs fairlyunadorned—the instrumentation is neither dense nor complex—so her voice, and, more importantly, her stories have plenty of time at the forefront.
Her voice is low pitched and smooth and smoky as good molasses....Poetry is the best way to describe the lyrics, intense and evocative, appealing sharply to the senses....She's definitely an artist to watch.
While Blakeslee's strong vocals, at times, suggests Ani DiFranco, her forte is her musicianship. Dobros, organs, pianos, a battery of percussion instruments, and fine material comprise Bones (2002), a collection of ten crafty acoustic originals by this talented newcomer.
Great new music from a serious singer-songwriter! Heather Shayne Blakeslee is only going to get better!
Blakeslee has taken up the mantle of 'modern-day minstrel' with a grace and a finesse rarely seen or heard in this day and age. The lilt of her voice seems to echo that of a young Joni Mitchell, and the scope of her talent really shines…From the gentle bombast of 'Sequoia,' to the wandering groove of the closing title track 'Bones,' she pulls no punches on this fine collection.
SELECTED VENUES
PHILADELPHIA, PA: HOMEBASE
World Cafe Live, The Fire, The Northstar Bar, The Grape Street Pub, The Tritone, The Raven Lounge, House Concerts, Nothern Liberties Fest
NEW YORK CITY
The Living Room, Meow Mix, Bowery Poetry Club, Rubyfruit, Nuyorican Poets Café, Downtime, The C-Note, Bar 13, One Arm Red, Cornelia St. Café, The Old Stone House
OTHER WANDERINGS:
Shanghai, CHINA: Shanghai University, The Blue Frog, O’Malley’s Irish Pub
Detroit, MI: The Opera House
Northampton, MA: Fire & Water Café
Union, NJ: Van Gogh’s Ear
Cleveland, OH: The Barking Spider
Oberlin, OH: Oberlin Music
Columbus, OH: Victorian’s Midnight Café, The Library Bar
Bethlehem, PA: Wildflower Café
Camp Hill, PA: The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
Bloomsburg, PA: The Hotel Magee, Phillips Emporium, BHS
Allentown, PA: Muhlenberg College, Hava Java
Anneville, PA: MJ’s Coffeehouse at the Allen Theatre
Providence, RI: Café Zog
Charleston, WV: Taylor Books