Julie Schurr reminds me a great deal of Ricki Lee Jones, and that is a good thing as well as a bad. Ms. Jones has a gift for interesting lyrics, and an utterly original vocal style.
What Ms. Schurr has is a vocal style similar to Ms. Jones but without the pure, pretty tones (I like her voice, its just not so . . . perfect). Her phrasing is deft, and her changes well done. The problem is that I’m talking about changes, not power, or melody, or even incredible lyrics.
I think I would have liked this album more when I was in college. The spare guitar style is a good accompaniment and I can see playing this album in my morose states. It isn’t very happy.
CD Baby says: “Julie Schurr is a seasoned songwriter/guitarist/singer who has recently become well-known in St. Louis musical arenas where her unique style and on-stage humor has gained her a loyal and ever-growing fan base . . . She is not afraid to make fun of herself while on stage, and has an unusually strong connection with her audiences. She is real, and that keeps her loyal audiences coming back for more, time and again.”
In the end, this is a good album, and is probably a lot more popular than my taste allows for, but I can’t really rave about it.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
Artist: Julie Schurr
Released: 2006
www.julieschurr.com
