 We Have a Winner Hey, just a quick note to say that after 6 years, including a run of 2nd place nominations that would make even Susan Lucci scratch her head, Namoli has officially won the Tucson Folk Festival Songwriting Competition! Prizes included a guitar, performance on the main stage, and being congratulated about every 10 minutes. 2008 is Gonna be Great Hey! 2008 is off to a great start. Check out this fantastic review of namoli's new CD in No Depression: Singer Shine Your Light (self-released). A tireless troubadour, Namoli Brennet has criss-crossed the country's coffeehouse circuit through five albums of original material. No doubt she's surprised a few of the regulars on that route: she's not your average, self-absorbed folkie. In fact, she's as apt to swing out a rocking, soulful keyboard as a cozy, sweet-sounding guitar, and her lyrics can be as harsh or witty as they are brooding or insightful. “California”, a pre-destination ode to its falling into the sea, lopes and swoons like a lost Pure Prairie League track. Contrastingly serious and sad is “Border Crossing”, an empathetic ballad that closes the gap between “us” and “them”. There's a smoother, quieter continuity to this album than in her previous releases, and while Brennet's penchant for gender-bending has often attracted outsized attention for its frankness, it takes a back seat here to almost gender-neutral portraits of humanity, lit deftly by her melodic dexterity. - Linda Ray |
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