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Let
Cambridge based Rocker Natalie Flanagan
has a multifaceted reputation as a performer and songwriter. Her
musical influences are Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Chrissy Hynde, Mazzy
Star, Neal Young, Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones.
Flanagan started writing songs and playing them in Boston-area bars
in 1992. It was a wishful pursuit by an unschooled beginner, adrift
in life, guided by raw musical intuition and a passionate desire to
connect with the world.
It's a singular accomplishment for any artist to be able to put
across the essence of what she's made of, purely, without
disclaimers or pretension. Natalie's music is powerful and real
because it's all true; it's all her. The songs sound like a dream
overheard, a private conversation from deep in the middle of a
memory. She takes you right into the soul of an experience; you can
feel it. It's a beta state.
It has no defenses.
"When I'm just playing in my living
room late at night, being quiet...
I like that sound... like if someone's
really tired, and they want to tell you
something Important but they have to
actually getup to your ear and whisper
it to you. I like that quality of
sound. It's really rich."
This is Natalie Flanagan: intimate and frayed, trustful and
profound. Her minimalist rock/indie-country style has earned her
comparisons to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Waits, classic trashy
Rolling Stones -- all are among her central musical influences. But
Natalie's ear is tuned to her own message, and her faith in her own
instincts is unshakeable. Her 2000 EP release, "5 Star
Day," was a bright promise of self-realization. LET, her debut
full-length CD, marks the coming-of-age of a confident, astonishing
original voice. Songs including "Come In, Tokyo,"
"Grace Under Pressure," "Long Live the King" and
"Margot's Arms" get into your bones and walk around with
you all day. Even when they break your heart in two, they keep you
company. Produced by David Minehan (ex-Neighborhoods) at his Woolly
Mammoth Studios in Boston, LET is a stunning showcase for Natalie's
elegant sense of balance and unflinching musical honesty. This is
the sound of struggle and strength; she doesn't give up, and she
can't fake it. Her spirit is enormous, fierce and kind.
Sometimes, when we're lucky, music finds the people it was meant
for.
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PRESS
& MEDIA REVIEWS
BOSTON GLOBE, 12/05/2002
CALENDAR REVIEW: "LET" by Jonathon Perry
copyright 12/2002 Jonathon Perry
"... . 'Let' sounds and feels like a long lost friend the
instant you hear it. The more you play the record, the more it
sounds like conversation: soulful and intimate, at once familiar yet
fresh. Memories of the classic rock of her adolescence-Rolling
Stones, Tom Petty, Rod Stewart- had a lot to do with her desire to
say something. ... . Emotions run deep on 'Let'. There's the
piano-spiked desolation of 'Long Live the King' and the
kiss-off of 'In This Way'. ... . On the disc's final track, the
rueful, gorgeous, 'Water Under the Bridge', Flanagan's spare
phrasing and acid regret channels Lou Reed via Patti Smith. There
are lighter moments too, with a libidinous tandem of electric
guitars strutting behind Flanagan's smirking come-on'Patience'
sounds like the best tune The Faces never wrote.... ".
THE BOSTON PHOENIX "CELLARS BY STARLIGHT",
Robin Vaughan, copyright 12/2002 Robin Vaughan
"... The first time I heard 'Long Live the King' on 'Let' I
actually felt as if I couldn't breath ... ."
CANDY FOR BAD CHILDREN E-ZINE REVIEW by E.J.
Copyright January 2003 Candy for Bad Children
"Natalie Flanagan is Lou Reed, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Chrissy
Hynde all rolled up in one.... . Let is a powerful emotional
experience that reminds me of albums like Bruce Springsteen's The
Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle or darkness on the Edge
of Town. ... this is a great record by a true American artist....
.No offense to The Boss but if you hear the dogs on Main Street
howling these days, its probably for Natalie Flanagan".
"Let": Natalie Flanagan
A Review by Anna Maria Stjarnell
COLLECTED SOUNDS: A GUIDE TO WOMEN IN MUSIC
Natalie Flanagan has a gritty, honest way of writing songs
and they sound just fine. Her voice has an appealing rasp
to it and she plays the guitar with real feeling. The rocker
"That's the Way" is a duet with Dennis Roach who also
wrote
the song. His voice fits well with hers. "Patience" is
close in sound to Lou Reed's early material. The song's energy
doesn't stop it from being pretty laidback. The evocative "Long
live the King" has gently strummed guitars and a reflective
vocal. "In This Way" is a brilliant breakup song. Natalie
Flanagan"s delivery is not bitter, but just slighly resigned.
The tune is very catchy too. The closer "Water Under the
Bridge" is sad-eyed and lovely with a gorgeous feel to it.
Flanagan sounds like a daughter to Patti Smith here. "Let"
is a brief album but there's enough good songs to make it a real
treat to hear.
For these Reviews in complete form with photos go to:
http://www.onewayproductions.com/natalie/ReviewsLet.html
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