MARTHA REDBONE ROOTS PROJECT

  “In a brilliant collision of cultures, the powerful blues and soul singer Martha Redbone has recorded an album called “The Garden of Love: Songs of William Blake,” which was produced by John McEuen, of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In it, the mystical, humanistic words of the eighteenth-century English poet are fused with the melodies, drones, and rhythms of the Appalachian string-band music that Redbone absorbed as a child from her grandparents, in Black Mountain, Kentucky.” The New Yorker

“The album’s title song, “Garden of Love,” is a masterful introduction to the project, kicking off with a searing acoustic blues lick leading into Redbone’s powerful voice. Here McEuen’s production skills shine as he perfectly swells the music up slowly behind Redbone’s vocals before kicking the band into full gear. It’s the biggest high note on an album that is chock full of them….Whether you’re a fan of William Blake or a guy who barely scraped through Lit 101, any appreciator of good Appalachian blues needs to run out and buy a copy of Martha Redbone’s “Garden of Love: Songs of William Blake.” It is a rare album that works on all level, appealing to the literary mind, the audiophile, and the person who just wants to sit back and listen to something soothing to wind down from a busy day.” Chris Griffy, Examiner

No. 1 in The Best Albums of 2012! “Brilliant fusion of Americana and Britannia.”  Musician & Author Ted Gioia

“Visionary….definitely one of the best folkroots albums of 2012.” Pieter Wijnstekers, Popmagazine Heaven (The Netherlands)

“Martha Redbone’s new collection The Garden Of Love sings of the earth, skies of blue & grey, hard birth & easy death. It sings a poem of prophecy whispered by the oldest tree in the farthest corner of the valley. It sings of leaving & returning & of the equanimity of Angels. Martha’s voice itself is the very sound of the dreams of hills and rivers- Homebound & Restless; interpreting the hauntingly lovely words of William Blake with the power of a storm & the gentleness of a breeze.” Vernon Reid

“The combination of a modern soul singer, an 18^th-century Romantic poet and bluegrass music shouldn’t work, at least on paper.  However, when there are talented people like Martha Redbone and John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band involved, the results can be fantastic.  Redbone and collaborator Aaron Whitby drew from the works of William Blake and McEuen and a host of talented musicians helped recast the poems as bluegrass songs.  The resulting songs sound more like Harlan County than Blake’s native London, and Redbone’s vocals are gorgeous throughout.  For music lovers, discovering hidden gems like this album is the equivalent of finding a winning lottery ticket on the street.” – Sam Gazdziak Country Universe’s Top Albums of 2012

“Martha Redbone is a charismatic indie-soul diva whose sound is a just-right mix of retro and modern.” Time Out New York

“…startling…lovely.” John Schaefer, WNYC’s Soundcheck

“…a perfect slice of Americana” Zach Hudson, Hearth Music & No Depression

“The manner in which Martha Redbone has stamped her own personality all over Blake’s work is both masterful and courageous and should really make her name synonymous with the old cockney proponent of the American Revolution for as long as people make music and read poetry.”  Tim Merricks, Americana UK

“…one of 2012’s under-the-radar gems…. a gorgeous mélange of sounds, influences, and textures that represents not only Redbone’s multicultural heritage, but also the numerous influences found in American folk and roots music.” Juli Thanki, Engine 145 

“Redbone and collaborator Aaron Whitby put music to the great poet’s verses, and the resulting recording was produced by John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Blake’s nature-driven Romantic poems and his belief in racial and sexual equality fit perfectly with Redbone’s own Native American and soulful roots in Appalachia, and her activist spirit. Mixing honky tonk, bluegrass, gospel, and ballad, this is truly American music at its best-and that’s what cabaret celebrates. This album is both something audaciously new and comfortingly old, and an artistic risk that has paid off big-time. A CD for the ages.” Kevin Scott Hall, Edge New York City

“…nothing short of genius….. The music is not merely an incidental vehicle for the enlightened words of Blake, but a masterful tribute to the roots of American music, delving back to Redbone’s Native American ancestry.” Yve Lepkowski, The Aquarian Weekly

“The Garden of Love is a 12-track CD filled with moving songs that are masterfully crafted and performed with near perfection. I really don’t want to sound like I’m gushing, but I’ll be danged if I’m not into my fourth listen from start to finish as I’m writing this review.” Dan Harr, Music News Nashville

“Apart from the fact that this is a remarkable recording in terms of Redbone’s liquid vocals and the harmonious blend of McEuen’s instruments (banjo, guitar, dubro, fiddle, mandolin, autoharp, dulcimer),the combining of music with William Blake’s “songs” is an amazing achievement.  It is as though this 18th century poet’s work has been quietly waiting for Martha Redbone.  After all, Blake always called his poems “songs,” suggesting that they were meant to be sung.  Here they are then!  After over two centuries, finally, exquisitely complete.”  Gary Carden, Smoky Mountain News

“The Martha Redbone Roots Project is a real beauty.” Noel Casey, Dublin City FM

Click to see a preview of Martha’s upcoming WoodSongs broadcast .

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