Cara Luft

Artist Information

Biography

Cara Luft likes to laugh. She does it a lot. It’s one of the first things you notice when meeting her, that and her engaging smile. It’s endearing and infectious. Nothing pretentious about her, Cara’s the real deal. What you see is what you get from the former founding member of Juno award winning folk music trio The Wailin’ Jennys. And that sense of honesty, integrity, personality and spontaneity permeates and resonates throughout both her music and her live performances. After all, what other folk-based artist unabashedly cites Buddy Holly, prog-rockers Yes, and even Led Zeppelin among their inspirations and influences?

Singer/songwriter/guitarist extraordinaire Cara Luft is that rare artist steeped in folk and traditional roots music almost from birth yet willing to alter that fabric, stretch the boundaries, not afraid to bend genres, styles and integrate what others might regard as a disparate set of influences. Her music has been described as “a rich roots travelogue whose traditional heart beats with a wholly contemporary pulse spanning the distance between the mists of English folk balladry and Middle East mysticism, through to the Mississippi Delta and the rustic wonders of the Appalachian Hills, with a certain fearless reverence and no small amount of soul.” (Ottawa Xpress) Americana UK declares her “a consummate performer. Unlike so many singer-songwriters, Luft’s music has an urgency that can’t be denied.” Critics have drawn comparisons to Julie Miller, June Tabor, Gillian Welch, Linda Thompson and even Brit folk-rockers Pentangle.

The Light Fantastic (Black Hen Music, 2007), Cara’s last solo album, produced by 54-40 frontman Neil Osborne and mixed by Warne Livesey (Matthew Good, Midnight Oil), has garnered superlatives far and wide. Reviewers fell over themselves in praising her original material, her distinctiveness and daring mix of styles, her execution and her eclectic approach drawing on folk, roots, Elizabethan and rock. Her songwriting is always evocative and insightful, her guitar and banjo playing fully accomplished and intricate, her voice distinctive, compelling and heartfelt. Cara’s choice of trad songs reflect her innate understanding of the traditional folk form redefined within a contemporary context.

Born into a folk musical family in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Cara played with dulcimers and autoharps while her peers played with Barbies and Nintendo. Music was an integral part of her growing up experience. In her early twenties she struck out on her own, recording two EPs and the Prairie Music Award-nominated album Tempting the Storm (2000) which signaled the arrival of a major talent. Based in Winnipeg, Cara has become a widely-respected and well-traveled member of the Canadian folk/roots music community. She has graced the stage at Lilith Fair and been invited to perform at the prestigious International Guitar Festival in the UK. With The Wailin’ Jennys she created one of the most talked about folk groups of the last ten years and recorded the exquisite 40 Days, winner of the 2005 Juno award for Best Roots Recording (Group). Since leaving the trio she has wowed audiences and critics with her solo performances across North America and Europe.

Critics and fans alike are eagerly awaiting the release of Cara’s upcoming new solo album, Darlingford, in the spring of 2012. The album was recorded in old churches, living rooms and home studios across Canada, the UK and the USA during 2011, and includes an all-star cast of guest musicians. With Cara sitting in the producer chair for the first time, Darlingford once again captures her prowess as a songwriter, singer and instrumentalist, and introduces her as a gifted producer.

Leave it to Canadian music elder statesman Terry David Mulligan to sum it up best: “This is her time, folks! Make room in your musical world for Cara Luft before she kicks your door down.”

For PERFORMANCE HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS please go to the Set List page.

Instrumentation

Cara Luft - Vocals, Guitar, mandolin, Clawhammer Banjo
Damon Mitchell - Electric Guitar
Scott Poley - Vocals, Guitar, Pedal Steel, Lap Steel

Discography

Cara Luft - Darlingford (to be released 2012)
Cara Luft - One Take Only: Black Water Side and Other Favourites (2010)
Cara Luft - The Light Fantastic (2007)
The Wailin' Jennys - 40 Days (2004)
The Wailin' Jennys - Self Titled (EP) (2002)
Cara Luft - Tempting the Storm (2000)
Cara Luft - Tragedy of the Commons (EP) (1997)
Cara Luft - Train to Freedom (5 song EP) (1996)

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Cara Luft Website
• Cara Luft's YouTube Channel
• Continental Record Services (CRS)
• Black Hen Music

Audio

• Only Love Can Save Me-Mix 4 Darlingford mp3
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• It's Going To Be Alright-Mix 4 Darlingford
  Listen  
• Bye Bye Love-Mix 4 Darlingford
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• Dallaire-Mix 4 Darlingford mp3
  Listen  
• He Moved Through The Fair-Mix 4 Darlingford mp3
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• Charged-rough mix for Darlingford
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• House On Fire-rough 4 Darlingford mp3
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• Black Water Side
  Listen  
• No Friend of Mine
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• There's a Train
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Only Love Can Save Me
• Jerusalem
• Idaho
• Dallaire
• Charged!
• Bye Bye Love

Video

drugsgoodh264.mov

There's a Train

Photo Gallery

Press

• Cara Luft Live Concert Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  WHITSTABLE FOLK CLUB (UK) Live Show Review Canadian singer-songwriter Cara Luft was one of the high...WHITSTABLE FOLK CLUB (UK) Live Show Review
  Canadian singer-songwriter Cara Luft was one of the highlights of last year’s folk club programme, delighting fans with her unique blend of folk, country, blues and rock. It turns out the admiration was mutual – she couldn’t wait to get back to the town and what she described as one of the best clubs in the country.
  
  And what a return it was. Cara’s songs are often personal and always heartfelt, and she’s had some tough times since her last visit. She’s worked some of those experiences into new songs, but what shone through her lyrics was not just the raw heartache but the positive spirit that brings you out the other side, especially in Gonna Be Alright.
  
  And if that all sounds a bit heavy, there was lightness too, and humour, particularly in the song she penned after her experiences being hauled over while crossing the border from Canada into the US. Moral to that tale – never let a friend leave something in your car that could get you into trouble.
  
  Cara sang about the importance of friends – and judging by the applause at the end of the evening, she certainly made a lot of new ones here.
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  LEITH FOLK CLUB (Scotland) Live Show Review in the Scotsman **** (4 STARS)
  THERE'S clearly some great word of mouth about Leith Folk Club going around among grassroots North American singer-songwriters, such artists having formed an increasingly frequent and rewarding strand of its weekly Tuesday night programme.
  
  Born in Calgary and based in Winnipeg, Cara Luft spent three years as co-founder of acclaimed close-harmony trio the Wailin' Jennys, before leaving in 2005 to resume her solo career. The troubadour life clearly suits her: appearing in Leith ahead of several similarly intimate gigs in the Highlands, she had already been touring in Europe since early June, yet there was nothing remotely jaded about their performance, just plenty of relaxed warmth and vivacity, including some hilariously extended anecdotes describing the origins of particular songs.
  
  As represented primarily by tracks from her second solo album, The Light Fantastic, plus a few from its predecessors and the odd Wailin' Jennys cut, Luft's main musical heartland lies in country-folk territory, to which she brought an assertively strong, clear, pliant voice, with an assured command of dynamic nuance and contrast.
  
  In its balance of dulcet sweetness and tangy twang, her singing also contained shades of Nanci Griffith and Mindy Smith, along with the steely, bluesy muscle flexed in a couple of rockier numbers, Give It Up ("about boys who need to grow up before they can fall in love with a real woman – like me!"), and You're No Friend of Mine, a wry retrospective riposte to schooldays humiliation. A compelling cover of Led Zeppelin's Black Mountainside, working in echoes of the Bert Jansch/Pentangle version, displayed the breadth and expertise of her musical references, while a winsome rendition of The Bonnie Lighthorseman offered further graceful acknowledgement of the folk-club setting.
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  THE STAR PHOENIX (Saskatoon) - Cara Opening for Loudon Wainwright
  "[Opening for Loudon] was the wonderful Cara Luft, one-time Wailin' Jenny and now touring solo. Straight in off the road from Winnipeg, Luft played a number of new songs from an upcoming album. Moving between two guitars and a fivestring banjo, she played There's a Train, She's Been Charged!, Portland Town and two stunners, Black Water Side and Come All You Sailors. Luft had a big impact on the Saskatoon crowd, telling a few ripping stories and some great banjo jokes. So, she asked, how do you tune a banjo? Nobody knows."
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  HOUSE OF BLUES (Germany) Live Show Review October 2010
  (Translation) Cara Luft Spoils her Audience with Original Music/Serious Folk Music
  She's not particularly the biggest person (body-wise), and with her curly hair, simple dress, green-black striped knee length socks and footware she doesn’t look like the typical folk star. More like the girl next door.
  
  This Canadian Folk Singer doesn’t need high heels or glitter in order to make her noticeable, she convinces through being natural and having charisma. Her instrument and voice are enough. It is a voice that takes listeners to the place the song describes, that caresses them, warms them, awakens them, urges and calls. A voice that is reminiscent of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell but exudes so much independence and authenticity that there is no doubt about who is on the stage.
  
  Her songs are a snap-shot of life. In good singer/song-writer style she brings real life situations into her songs but isn’t shy of bringing classics such as Led Zeppelin's instrumental “Black Mountain Side” into her own funky style. She has no reservations either in music or her own life. During the break she stood in front of the audience and chatted with them as though it was the most natural thing to do in the world.
  
  Back on the stage, this young lady who loves to laugh transforms once more into a focussed musician. Each song is different, ranging from those using acoustic guitars and banjos and moves with instinctive sureness in their genre between melodic songs, sophisticated arrangements and tough protest songs.
  
  Romance doesn’t get a raw deal either. "My Darling One" is laidback with lots of airy melodies and reminds us of our first great love. It doesn’t last too long if one believes the song "Bye Bye Love." With "Jerusalem" she takes the middle east conflict on and in the song "Dallaire" rivers of blood flow from fallen fighters.
  
  Cara Luft didn’t come alone to Germany. As support she brought English singer and guitar player Scott Poley who accompanies her on her European Tour. A good choice, because the Liverpudlian shows off an explosion of his guitar tricks, and being ever the gentleman, his playing doesn't do a diservice to the melody. Luft and Poley don't just fascinate here in Eutingen, but have done so already in many other towns before that, and some fans travelled from Darmstadt, Frankfurt and also 20 kilometers from Gulstein to be spoilt by Cara Luft and the “Light Fantastic” (the name of her latest CD).
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  CAFE CASTANEDA (Germany) Live Show Review
  Happy End in Harbshausen
  Too much going on in the night before Halloween, a small audience found its way to Café Castaneda. Cara Luft didn’t let this spoil her mood in Harbshausen, but provided funny anecdotes from previous performances, fresh songs with individual choruses and the invitation to sing along because as she was on the last leg of her tour she would be able to give away the prize for the best choir. The title of the coolest venue had already been taken by Café Castaneda before the first song.
  
  The dense guitar playing that the Canadian singer-songwriter and her British companion Scott Poley unleashed at the beginning of the show promised that this was not necessarily just a social event.
  
  By the third piece, with the frequently used refrain “My Darling One”, the first and gladly accepted invitation to sing along came from the happy go lucky country singer, three other opportunities (eg Bring em all in) were to follow.
  
  Depth didn’t fall by the wayside with so many happy people because between the cheerful songs there was sufficient room for dark themes, harmonies to make you hang your head (No Friend) or tricky guitar playing with which Scott and Cara transformed the almost already dirge like ballad “She Moved Through the Fair” into a vibrant promise.
  
  Cara’s presentation of Jerusalem was also coined by aggressive longing and restless rhythms, a composition that stands for the desire for release of expression and of difficulties, that one is losing their way and there is no easy way out. The song “Gonna be alright” is also about getting your life in order. In this particular song of optimism the young vocalist clearly trudges her way step by step out of the valley of tears, while her colleague Scott knocks out the rhythm on the body of his guitar.
  
  The programme had variety with songs of varying moods, though singing “Dallaire” (about genocide in Rwanda) Cara Luft showed she was a great songwriter.
  
  Her small but firm Harbshauser followers called for Cara Luft and Scott Poley to play more than the usual two encores and even got one or two extra anecdotes from the tour, including a story about a packed-full local in which the organiser couldn’t provide an amplifier and where the concert was a joy on the ears for the first row. The PA in Castaneda had easily managed to get a full house absorbed. Next year the young vocalist will come to Harbshausen with her new album.
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  HOUSE OF BLUES (Germany) Another Live Show Review October 2010
  Where Beautiful Music is In the Air
  The Canadian Singer Cara Luft Charms in “House of Blues”
  
  Bob Michaels (alias Robert Michael Krause) has operated his “House of Blues” by the train station of Hochdorf for a year and a half. Ever since then there has been an international music series – continually coming and going. On Sunday Cara Luft from Canada charmed with Folk music.
  
  Together with guitar player Scott Poley from Liverpool, Cara Luft fascinated the audience with her glass clear voice, perfect guitar playing and wonderfully acoustic folksongs. And they were initially seen by some guests merely as background music – a shame.
  
  Her fan Kai travelled especially from Darmstadt with a group of people. Therefore Cara Luft devoted the entire concert to him. Cara Luft was taken by the fact that some music lovers had made the pilgrimage to Hochdorf on a Sunday evening. Then 2 journalists focus their cameras on the music lovers: “through you we feel like Rockstars” grins Cara Luft. In each and every note sung and every finger pluck of the guitar you could tell that Cara Luft grew up in a family of professional folk musicians. She began to sing at the tender age of 4. She was the founder member of the much acclaimed Folk trio “The Wailin’ Jennys” and was recognised with a Juno award, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy. She has been solo since 2005.
  
  Despite the partly electric and rock arrangements of her CD “The Light Fantastic” being missing on Sunday, Cara Luft proved that traditional Folk music doesn’t have to sound stale, whether that was with her own songs such as “No friend of mine”, or the banjo classic “Portland Town” from Derroll Adams or with the well-known Led-Zeppelin traditional folk song “Black Water Side”.
  
  Cara Luft pulled the audience under her spell with one song especially: “It’s not mine” she insists in a song based on a true story. For at the American border she was found with a bag of grass in her car, that had been left there and forgotten by a friend. The audience at least believed her more than the customs did: "it’s not hers" they sang loudly with her.
  
  “Although we haven’t played any Blues it was an honour for us to play in the House of Blues”, thanked the singer.

• The Buzz: What People are Saying... [+ Show ]
  

  BUDDY MILLER - Producer, Songwriter, Musician "Cara's new record "The Light Fantastic" is great, re...BUDDY MILLER - Producer, Songwriter, Musician
  "Cara's new record "The Light Fantastic" is great, real, and heartfelt - as she is. No fluff or extra notes - just the good stuff!"
  
  SHERI BRAKE-MUYOMBA - Foothills Acoustic Music Institute
  “Cara Luft was FANTASTIC... the most musical fun I have had in a long long time... [you] would be foolish not to snap her up.”
  
  TERRY DAVID MULLIGAN - Host, CKUA
  "This is her time, this is her year and THIS is the album. Ladies and Gentlemen, make room in your music world for Cara Luft. Songwriting as good as any I heard in all of 2006, begins my 2007... and just when you think you've got her style and passion nailed down she busts out in a completely different direction. Take the song Theres a train... it's like a modern day version of Buffalo Springfield's Bluebird... soft, gentle folksy beginning and then 3 minutes in, the song kicks into a rocking finish that stays with you long after the cd is over. And that's just the first track on The Light Fantastic. As I said, make room for Cara Luft...before she kicks your door down!"
  
  JAMES PARTRIDGE - Presenter, Live at the Institute (UK)
  “When Cara Luft breezes into the room and positions her multi-coloured vibrant self onto centre-stage, you somehow know that you are in safe hands by her presence and grin alone. An hour or so later, after a musical trip taking in everything from Alaska to the Blackwater, insistent riffs still jangling in your ears and melodies stuck with you forever, you are a now a part of her world and she a part of yours. That is what proper musicians do, and Cara Luft is one of those.”
  
  JAMES HODGES, ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS (Saskatoon)
  “Listening to Cara Luft is like sipping a fine cognac, warm and smooth at the beginning, stirringly captivating by the end.”
  
  ANDY MOREL, ROSSLAND ARTS COUNCIL
  “...a truly Canadian diamond in the rough – no need for cutting or polishing.”
  
  PAUL SYMES, THE BLACK SHEEP INN (Quebec)
  "... a truly lovely concert, brilliantly performed, and an artistic success. Cara was delightful to work with in every way, and was utterly gracious and professional every step of the way. I would be thrilled to have her back!"
  
  RICK FENTON, WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC ALLIANCE and FORMER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, Winnipeg Folk Festival
  “Cara's voice, songwriting, guitar playing, energy, passion, fire, sense of humor, and zest for life make her a great addition to any festival lineup.”
  
  BLACKIE AND THE RODEO KINGS
  “You f*%&# blew me away!” – Tom Wilson
  “I love the way Cara plays guitar and am very much looking forward to her new musical adventures, post Wailin' Jenny's. Go Cara go!” – Stephen Fearing
  
  ROB SMITH, INTERNATIONAL GUITAR FESTIVAL OF GREAT BRITAIN DIRECTOR
  “It was a privilege and a delight to present Cara Luft at the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain - It is always exciting when you see a ‘new name’ captivate an audience. A return invitation is our highest accolade!”

• The Light Fantastic - Canadian Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  TORONTO STAR "Calgary-raised and Winnipeg-based Cara Luft tempted fate when she left the successful...TORONTO STAR
  "Calgary-raised and Winnipeg-based Cara Luft tempted fate when she left the successful Canadian female folk trio The Wailin' Jennys to resume a solo career. But her destiny seems assured. The Light Fantastic showcases her exceptional abilities as a guitarist and her compelling and distinctive voice. Moreover, as a songwriter she has matured since her last recorded efforts, and the 12 original songs on her second solo album, produced by Neil Osborne, are a powerful combination of imagination, rhythmic power and social commentary. That said, her reworking of the traditional English ballad "Lord Roslyn's Daughter" – the arrangement conjures up Brit prog-folk band Pentangle – is one of the most memorable in this collection. Top track: "There's a Train," a soulful lament that builds to a wild and passionate fury." - Greg Quill
  
  VANCOUVER PROVINCE
  “Yes, Luft is a Wailin’ Jennys founder but so much more too, head and shoulders above most. Think Julie Miller meets Gillian Welch on a lot of this, with an occasional bit of Linda Thompson tossed in. The Light Fantastic could be very big in Canadian roots circles.” – John P. McLaughlin
  
  PENGUIN EGGS MAGAZINE
  "This is Cara's first venture into recording since she left the Wailin' Jennys. I always wish the best to someone who leaves a going musical concern to pursue their own muse. Yet you can't help but also worry a bit that the admirers collected while part of said going musical concern will be disappointed in the new path. No such worries here. Cara recruited 54-40's Neil Osborne as the producer and together they have done her work proud. The Light Fantastic is a collection of 13 strong songs showcasing Cara's two strongest suits - her guitar playing and her wonderful voice. It's much more contemporary and less traditionally influenced than her last solo effort, Tempting the Storm. That being said, one of the album's stellar songs, Lord Rosyln's Daughter, is very much traditional in sound and style, telling a story containing enigmatic riddles and a nefarious nobleman on a "milk white steed" out to steal the damsel's virtue. A wonderfully produced and great-sounding album, The Light Fantastic is a great next step in the resumed solo career of Cara Luft." - Les Siemieniuk
  
  WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
  "After some time away from her solo career to record and tour with the Wailin’s Jennys, Luft returns with her long-awaited second full-length. 54-40’s Neil Osborne takes over production and applies a fresh coat of paint to Luft’s already charming musical base. The Light Fantastic is rooted in the folk tradition but slathered in rock ‘n’ roll. It’s evident right from the start when There’s a Train builds from a pretty acoustic-based country-folk tune with beautiful harmonies to a tumultuous rocker. All the while her clean and clear vocal (reminiscent of Kate Rusby or June Tabor) soars powerfully above the heady blend of country, folk, roots, rock and more traditionl fare. Spirit of the West’s Hugh McMillan and Winnipeggers Christian Dugas, Richard Moody and Bill Western add further colour to the project with tasteful flourishes of mandolin, viola, fiddle, lap steel, piano, pedal steel and harmonica. She may be Jenny no longer but she’s still wailin’." - Bruce LePerre
  
  MONDAY MAGAZINE (Victoria, BC)
  "The second solo album from this Wailin’ Jennys co-founder, The Light Fantastic wisely shines a musical spotlight on the album’s two biggest strengths: Luft’s sweet voice and her songwriting prowess. Anyone who enjoyed her work with the Jennys won’t be disappointed by this great solo disc; there are still strong harmonies at work here (courtesy of bandmates like Spirit of the West’s Hugh McMillan and producer Neil Osborne of 54/40 fame) and some outstanding musical contributions by the likes of Richard Moody (The Bills) and Christian Dugas (Alana Levandoski), but it’s mainly Luft who steps to the fore with her heart-twanging vocals and foot-tapping guitar playing. The Light Fantastic is a little bit country, a whole lot of folk and a surprising dollop of rock from an artist who’s quickly climbing the ranks to become one of the stars of the Canadian roots scene. If you thought it was a drag when Luft left the Jennys, check out The Light Fantastic and see what she’s been doing since. You won’t be disappointed." - John Threlfal
  
  OTTAWA EXPRESS
  "The Light Fantastic is by no means an exercise in mere volume manipulation, but rather a rich roots travelogue whose traditional heart beats with a wholly contemporary pulse. It spans the distance between the mists of English folk balladry and Middle East mysticism through to the Mississippi Delta and the rustic wonders of the Appalachian Hills with a certain fearless reverence, and no small amount of soul."
  
  EXCLAIM! MAGAZINE
  “The Light Fantastic is an appealing blend of country and roots rock. [There’s] a dash of badass rock in Luft’s hands [with] a hint of Jimmy Page in her guitar licks and a trace of Robert Plant in her high notes. It all comes together very nicely indeed.”
  
  KITCHENER/WATERLOO RECORD
  "Cara Luft released her debut solo album, Tempting the Storm, in 2000. Two years later she co-founded The Wailin' Jennys and released a couple of albums including the Juno-winning 40 Days. After three years of wailing with the Jennys, Luft resumed her solo career. The Light Fantastic is her sophomore solo album and it's a winner. Parts of the album are as gentle, low-keyed and stripped down as anything the Jennys did. Other parts are heavier, edgier, rockier, combining elements of traditional and contemporary folk with country and roots rock. The results are so pleasing because of Luft's considerable talents as a writer and performer, coupled with contributions from producer Neil Osborne (54-40) and an exciting group of guest musicians including multi-instrumentalist Hugh McMillan (Spirit of the West, James Keelaghan) and violinist Richard Moody (The Bills), among others."
  
  SOULSHINE.CA
  It says right on the packaging of Cara Luft’s new album, The Light Fantastic, that she was one of the founding members of the Wailin’ Jennys. After winning a Juno with her former band, Luft left the ‘Jennys in late 2004 to jumpstart her own solo career. The Light Fantastic is the first fruit born of that labour, and instead of leaving listeners scratching their heads wondering why Luft left an award winning band, the 13-track record quells all worries.
  The Light Fantastic kicks-off with the seemingly autobiographical “There’s A Train.” There’s a chance that the song has nothing to do with the Calgary-born musician’s departure from the Wailin’ Jennys, but with lyrics like “How could you tell me that you didn’t think I’d try / How can I stay here when it’s burning me alive,” it’s much more exciting to assume that it does. From there the record runs through a strong series of down-home, whiskey-soaked, toe-tapping folk tunes with Luft’s nasally vocals taking center stage. Whatever the reason behind the parting of ways between Luft and the Wailin’ Jennys, it’s clear from the singer’s lyrics and liner notes that she views The Light Fantastic as a rebirth of sorts. “I’m going deeper / and I’m getting stronger,” she sings on the final track, “Settle For Grey.” And with The Light Fantastic, Luft is doing just that. 4 stars
  
  THE NERVE MAGAZINE
  The Light Fantastic is Luft’s follow-up to her 2000 debut (which earned a Prairie Music Award nomination for Outstanding Roots Recording), Tempting the Storm. The long wait for this second album is due to her taking time out to co-found supergroup the Wailin’ Jennys and win a Juno Award for their 40 Days album. As far as the Western Canadian folk scene goes, Luft is quite the star. The Light Fantastic can best be categorized as country music meets rootsy, spiritual, traditional folk, and it is clear that Luft has spent a lifetime perfecting her musicianship. Her songs weave personal stories (“Give it Up” bemoans the timeless topic of boyfriends being rubbish) along with more traditional theme of the open road. Luft manages to be at once Celtic and modern, and proves that you don’t have to be 104 years old with a beard to match, to perfect this kind of music.
  
  RED DEER ADVOCATE
  The roots music scene has its own rhythm and pace, one less frenetic than that of the mass-market world. In the roots realm, an album is allowed to find its legs and strengthen with the passage of weeks. Manitoban Cara Luft’s The Light Fantastic is one such recording.
  
  This one took months to catch my attention and I admit that had more to do with me than the disc, because this is good stuff. No weepy nonsense for this former Wailin’ Jenny; The Light Fantastic is the culmination of an artist’s concerted efforts.
  
  Give it Up is the most obviously commercial song on the disc, with Luft presenting the Natalie Maines-like tell-off as if she’s lived it, which maybe she has. Also impressive is the leaving town saga There’s a Train, which culminates in a rocking guitar blast that sounds only slightly out of place. A masterful rendition of the traditional folk song Black Water Side, one which owes as much to garage bands as it does to Sandy Denny, is another highlight.
  
  For good reason, The Light Fantastic hit the CKUA top 30 for 2007. The range of sounds contained — from the ceremonial bombast of The Light to the Joni Mitchell-gentleness of Wilcox — keeps listeners engaged. Yet the album doesn’t feel disjointed, tied together as it is by Luft’s appealing voice and the instrumental contributions of Hugh McMillan and especially percussionist Christian Dugas.

• USA Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE “Co-founder of the vocal trio The Wailin' Jennys, The Light Fantastic has a...VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE
  “Co-founder of the vocal trio The Wailin' Jennys, The Light Fantastic has a more rock-and-roll bent. But even with a more hard-edged veneer the basic sweetness of Luft's songs shines through. Original compositions are spiced with Celtic and Anglo/Canadian inflections that harken to her folk roots. If you liked the Jennys' first two releases, you'll love this.”
  
  POPMATTERS
  She’s been called “Jenny Van Halen” for her shredding guitar work with the outfit The Wailin’ Jennys, a folk trio she co-founded. Cara Luft left the Jennys to satisfy her yearnings to create something truer to her inner voice; she wanted something heavier, deeper, and dirtier. The result is her solo album The Light Fantastic, released last year in Canada and unfurled in the States in 2008. The brassy Canuck’s release aims for a dustier, edgier sound, but gathering from the swirly-drawn cover art (including sunflowers, butterflies and winding vines, and inspirational quotes) and the disc’s bright overall sound, Luft certainly added dust: fairy dust. This is not to say that Luft foes the sugar-pop-country route, though her warm alto vocals are sinfully sweet. Luft is the perfect blend of lightness and gusty rock chick.
  
  The first five tracks are gritty, soulful, well-arranged, and, at times, kick-ass rock. “There’s a Train” begins the disc with drawn-out violas (Richard Moody) and layers of female vocal harmonies that wind themselves around a soothing underlying drone. Before too long, airy harmonies become unleashed rock riffs, Moody’s fervent fiddle jousting, and Christian Dugas’ unbridled drumming. Luft jams atop the brief melee with her electric guitar. Bitter “No Friend of Mine” has cutting harmonies as Luft ironically sings, “I’m cutting you from me life / Cuz you’re not worth my time”. Thankfully, the person was worth writing a beautifully orchestrated song featuring a set of vocals that expands from duet to multi-part and back again. Hugh McMillan etches out a bassline on double bass to the all-acoustic emerging sound. Luft’s golden vocal tone has a slightly sharp edge that mimics the sound of the multiple strumming guitars.
  
  The Light Fantastic alludes to several poems and other literary works (such as John Milton’s L’Allegro) that use the phrase to refer to revelry with extravagance. It is lightness and its accoutrement. Shaken tambourines, foot stomps, and hand claps begin the traditional “Black Water Side”. Another drone underlines the increasing tribal percussion (including Ravi Singh’s tabla) and Luft’s lofty, repetitive guitar work. Some of Luft’s richest vocal tones arise in her reaching the lower notes to the piece. Part of Luft’s inspiration for the arrangement comes from a Jimmy Page interpretation of a guitar part by Bert Jansch. The second traditional song, “Lord Roslyn’s Daughter”, follows. The murder ballad (actually, de-virginizing ballad) flows with a dark edge as Luft sings with a foreboding tone against stern violins. Sporadic upright bass offers a spooky framework, while consistent minor guitar chords provide a ghostly haze.
  
  Several songs showcase more of Luft’s airy, dream-like side. “Wilcox” features Luft’s saccharine soprano vocal range while she softly coos about the springtime on the prairie. Light acoustic guitar fingering and resinous viola surround her poetic words. “I’ve never seen a springtime in November before”, she whispers and aches with her Canadian and Southern American accent. She recalls Deana Carter’s youthful sweet tone with more nose and more rock. “The Light” has an Eastern modal feel to its six-and-a-half-minute duration. The drone returns as the piece increases the number of instruments being played and intensity. Luft’s voice joins several other voices in unison in different octaves, eventually resulting in a light-hearted chorus of “la’s” and “dah’s”. Bill Western’s pedal steel reminds the listener that this is indeed a country record. It is the balance that Luft continually strikes that sets this album apart from most female country singer/songwriters. - by Sarah Moore
  
  WILDY'S WORLD
  Winnipeg’s Cara Luft is a musical tour-de-force that you might never have heard of if you live outside of Canada. An integral part of folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys, Luft chose to follow her own path in 2005 after three years, two albums and one Juno Award for Best Roots album. Nicknamed “Jenny Van Halen” for her raucous guitar style, Luft is as accomplished with an axe as she is behind the microphone. Her album, The Light Fantastic, is a wonderful mix of the spiritual and the mundane, the certain and the in-between. Produced by Neil Osborne (54-40), The Light Fantastic features multi-instrumentalist Hugh McMillan (Spirit Of The West, James Keelaghan), Richard Moody (The Bills) and Christian Dugas. It a rare gem in popular music; a spending musical experience with outstanding storytelling.
  
  Cara Luft shows an ability to capture moments and people in song that is uncanny. Whether her subjects are real or imagined, or even herself, Luft opens a window in each song on a person, place or time that is so believable you can almost touch them. Her voice is perfectly suited to this style of country/Americana; a warm alto with a bit of small-town country sass. The Light Fantastic opens with There's A Train, a song about escaping a relationship that's an emotional tempest, even if it means leaving home. Luft has a subtle power in his voice and is deft at using it to accentuate the emotions the protagonist feels here. This leads into No Friend Of Mine; with a lyrical economy that packs a punch, Luft tells someone who's no good for her to get lost. Turning the tables, Talk For A While is inspired by a bit of non-committal vulnerability; it's an incredibly human emotion in song, caught perfectly like a photograph set to music.
  
  From a pure musical standpoint, Black Water Side is one of the more memorable moments on the album, with a wonderful arrangement that captures motion and movement within the notes and rhythms of the song. Luft's version of Lord Roslyn's Daughter may have officially transplanted the Great Big Sea rendition as my favorite version of this traditional tune. Luft delivers a stirring vocal performance, blending with unforgettable harmony vocals that are full of urgency you can almost reach out and grab. For all of this, however, Give It Up is by far my favorite song on the disc. It's a statement of self-worth from a woman who knows who she is and what she wants. It's probably one of the best takes on this subject since R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
  
  No Strength takes a deep angst, partners it with a wonderful hook and some amazing rhythmic guitar playing and turns into a highly memorable song. Wilcox explores the utter surprise and wonderment of a person taken out of their normal element and caught on the Canadian Prairies for a time, while Jerusalem addresses the need for an inner spiritual or philosophical life. It's an interesting tune that uses Jerusalem as an allegory for this spiritual destination, and comes off sounding like a classic Indigo Girls tune. Settle For Grey is a subject most artists touch on at some point in their career, the loss of clear black and white in choices that seems to occur over a lifetime. It's a moralist message that's decidedly amoral, and an intriguing epilogue for Luft.
  
  Luft is an extremely talented songwriter, encapsulating person, time and place with the skill and temerity of Randy Newman. Vocally she's up there with the best, and the musical arrangements here are anything but typical. Luft sounds like she's still challenging herself on each song, and enjoying it in the process. The Light Fantastic is a terrific listen. Luft is a master songwriter and performer. You don't want to be without this disc. 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
  
  PUREMUSIC (NYC)
  “Cara Luft comes from folk singing parents and a lifetime of guitar playing, her rhythm work on acoustic is truly dense, muscularly musical. She rocks. But that’s just a turn of the diamond, as her ballad of the forgotten, Untitled, reveals. She is a deep and funky wonder.”
  
  JAY VOTEL, WORLD FOLK MUSIC ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY (DC)
  “Cara Luft’s simple three-verse “Come All You Sailors” is an elegant example of her ability to take a traditional-sounding theme and turn it into a folk gem.”
  
  DIRTY LINEN
  “Luft’s ‘The Light Fantastic‘ certainly reveals her folk and country roots, but also highlights her inner rock ‘n’ roller, thanks in part to producer Neil Osborne, guitarist for Canadian alte-rockers 54-40. The opening track, ‘There’s a Train’ starts out in a gentle folk-country vein, but kicks into a higher gear after the fourth verse, building to a roaring climax with blazing electric guitar, pedal steel, and fiddle. Luft’s affection for British Isles folk is evident on her faithful cover of the ballad ‘Lord Roslyn’s Daughter’ and her crisply finger picked version of ‘Blackwaterside.’ With ‘Give It Up’ Luft delivers a radio-friendly pop-rocker that could give the Sheryl Crows of the world a run for their money. ‘Wilcox’ is an unadorned 12-string guitar ballad that evokes the stark expanses of the Canadian prairie.”
  
  SING OUT!
  In 2004, just as the Wailin' Jennys were hitting their stride and beginning to make their mark on the international folk circuit, Cara Luft, one of the founding members of the Winnipeg-based trio, walked away from the group to return to her solo career as a singer-songwriter. She'd released an album of her own prior to joining the Jennys and has now followed up that solo effort with The Light Fantastic, a collection of mostly-original material that's reminiscent of Sandy Denny-era Fairport Convention with its arrangements folk rock arrangements and occasional excursions into highly arranged traditional songs.
  
  Luft's folk rock approach becomes clear in the album opener, "There's a Train." The song begins with a pretty, acoustic-sounding arrangement in the opening verses. However, by song's end, the song was like an engine barreling down the track in full throttle rock and roll mode. Listening to the song, it's easy to assume that it might be her declaration of independence from the Wailin' Jennys. The prettiest song on the album is "Wilcox," in which she seems to be seeking refuge in a quiet prairie town as November drifts into the Christmas season.
  
  I like much of Luft's original material, but I was especially taken with her very interesting arrangements of two traditional songs: "Black Water Slide" and "Lord Roslyn's Daughter." "Black Water Slide" has a trance-like arrangement that features Luft singing on top of her deftly-played guitar figures, Hugh McMillan's bass lines and tabla patterns laid down by Ravi Singh. "Lord Roslyn's Daughter," is the most compelling variation of "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" that I've heard since Ian and Sylvia reworked it as "Captain Woodstock's Courtship" in the 1960s. - by Mike Regenstreif

• UK and Continental Europe Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  AMERICANA UK "Luft is a consummate performer. Unlike so many singer-songwriters, [her] music has a...AMERICANA UK
  "Luft is a consummate performer. Unlike so many singer-songwriters, [her] music has an urgency that can’t be denied…"
  
  FISH RECORDS (UK)
  The 7 year gap between The Light Fantastic, Cara Luft's second solo album and her 2000 debut ‘Tempting the Storm’ is excusable as she was a founding member of the Wailin’ Jennys; but is a virtue and the wait has produced an exceptional album as ‘The Light Fantastic’ is a superb and varied contemporary folk collection.
  
  Quite a way removed from her debut disc, this album is a mature and confident set of songs, almost all are her own compositions (there are two traditional tracks) and she moves from quiet gentle arrangements right through to rockier full band tracks with ease. It’s an engaging and varied album and one that highlights Luft as an artist willing to innovate with her arrangements; it’s obvious her roots are in the folk tradition, but her tastes are much broader, and that has rubbed off onto the 13 songs here.
  
  Her voice, as fans of the Jennys will know, is clean, pure and the perfect vehicle for acoustic songs, what will surprise many is how well she fares on the rockier guitar tracks, her voice is impressively versatile and sounds good throughout.
  
  Guitars, both acoustic and electric, are the base for all the songs, and it’s an impressively small group of musicians that create an album with such a varied sound – mandolin, bass, fiddle, piano and tabla all add to this rich sounding disc.
  
  The disc is full of memorable songs, the opener ‘There’s a Train’ starts as a delicate acoustic piece and builds into a huge ending; Lord Roslyn’s Daughter is a big folk ballad that has elements of British folk/rock throughout; and ‘Give it Up’ is a melody rich contemporary folk/pop song with a biting lyrics and a great hook.
  
  ’The Light Fantastic’ is one of the finest contemporary folk albums of 2007, and while Cara has already made quite a name for her self in her native Canada both as a Jenny and as a solo artist, this is the disc that deserves to bring her to a wider audience. Very highly recommended.
  
  LEICESTER BANGS
  Cara Luft helped found The Wailin’ Jennys before leaving in 2004 to resume her solo career, which began and stalled with 2000’s Tempting The Storm. Well, she’s back now, and The Light Fantastic announces the fact with a big, impressive bang. Unafraid to wander the Americana backroads; folk, country, country-rock and even some blues are featured, all are there to showcase what an accomplished songwriter Luft has become - both ‘Talk For Awhile’ and ‘No Friend Of Mine’ stand out. If I had a criticism, it’s a touch too long for one sitting, but if you wait seven years between solo albums, you’re going to have a lot to say. For the most part, it’s worth hearing.
  
  
  MUSICWORKS EZINE
  With the International Guitar Festival approaching, I thought I'd introduce one of the darlings of the festival, in this case Cara (one third of the Wailin' Jennys) Luft.
  
  "Tempting The Storm" is not exactly a new album, having originally been released in Canada back in 2000, but British label Headroom Records (Steve Newman, Chilli) has picked up on it, and have licensed it for release over here in the UK.
  
  And a very astute move on the part of Headroom indeed. Broadening their roster to include someone known predominantly for wearing their folk and country influences prominently on their sleeve, especially with the current British trend towards guitar bands, might seem commercially suicidal.
  
  It's a well orchestrated move though, with Luft about to make an appearance with the other two thirds of the ‘Wailin' Jennys’ at the SXSW Conference, there’s bound to be more than a little interest in both the band and the members’ solo projects.
  
  Although ‘Tempting The Storm’ does have very strong trad folk and celtic influences, much of the material on ‘Tempting The Storm’ leans towards what one suspects might be a hankering for the life of a rock star (‘Run To Your Lover’), trading Celtic folk influences for nifty rock guitar licks. Add to that Luft’s stunning guitar work, the thoughtful and well crafted lyrics and tunes, earthy vocals which are as much suited to the trad material(including reworkings of a couple of traditional folk songs) as they are to they groove laden indie rock on the latter half of the album, and you have a very listenable and highly entertaining semi-acoustica album.
  
  Where some people might find trad folk a little boring, and the more commercial aspects of indie rock a tad worn at the edges, this album fits nicely into the folk rock category rather neatly.
  
  fROOTS Magazine (England)
  Cara Luft’s been listening to the right stuff way out there in Canada, making a smart move in relocating to Winnipeg – a city I know of old. This third album shows an abiding love of good old Brit trad and a canny way of writing her own remarkable folk rock grooves. Obviously familiar with Hark! The Village Wait, (and why not?) she covers My Johnny Was A Shoemaker, and The Blacksmith, with enough cavalier spirit to treat them loosely though never rebelliously. Her own musings are genial, varying between sombre on Send an Oar, skirling on Run To Your Lover, and introspective on I Didn’t Know. On the up escalator for sure. - by Simon Jones
  
  ROOTSTIME
  Cara Luft hoort thuis in het rijtje – de appel valt niet ver van de boom – Haar ouders gingen in Canada door het leven als getalenteerde folkmuzikanten en zagen hun dochter in ’96 met het EPtje “Train To Freedom” gevolgd door het album “Tragedy of the Commons” een voorzichtige poging ondernemen om in hun voetstappen te treden. Het album “Tempting in the Storm” (2000) kreeg niet de (verdiende) aandacht waarop zij gerekend had en misschien bondt zij daarom haar lot aan dat van Nicky Mehta en Ruth Moody. The Wailin’ Jenny’s waren een feit en achteraf bekeken heeft het Cara Luft geen windeieren opgeleverd. Het album “40 Days” werd bedolven onder de Awards en de verkoopcijfers waren navenant. Toch hield Clara het na een poosje voor bekeken, werd vervangen door Annebelle Chvostek, en besloot haar solo-carrire een nieuwe impuls te geven. “Het is moeilijk bescheiden te blijven als je ….” zong er iemand vroeger op de bouwstelling maar het dametje uit Canada mag met recht en reden haar album als “The Light Fantastic” betitelen. Cara Luft tekent resoluut voor een eigentijdse moderne benadering van het folkgebeuren zonder de traditionele basisprincipes te verloochenen, “Lord Roslyn’s Daughter” is daar een fraai voorbeeld van. Het feit dat Neil Osborne tekende voor de produktie van dit schijfje zal in ruime mate bijgedragen hebben dat Clara Luft albums in de toekomst gemakkelijker terug te vinden zijn in de afdeling Americana. Hugh Mc Millan (mandolin, lap steel), Bill Western (pedal steel), Richard Moody (viola, fiddle) geven er een serieuze lap op in de opener “There’s a Train” en laten het meisje rocken als nooit tevoren op “No Strenght” en “Give It Up”. Toch zullen voornamelijk het pareltje “Down to The River”, “No Friend of Mine” en “Black Water Slide” de fans van het eerste uur overhalen om dit schijfje aan te schaffen, laat de liefhebbers van het iets minder gepolijste gedeelte van ” the Light Fantastic” ook hun duit in het zakje doen dan zou dit wel eens een bestseller kunnen worden. 4 stars
  
  WWW.CTRLALTCOUNTRY.BE
  De Canadese Cara Luft geniet hier te lande vooral bekendheid als een van de stichtende leden van de Wailin’ Jennys, waarmee ze in 2005 in eigen land nog de Juno Award voor “Best Roots Recording” in de wacht sleepte voor de CD “40 Days”. Nochtans had ze eerder ook al een paar uitstekende platen gemaakt. In ’96 was er zo al de EP “Train to Freedom”, in ’97 haar eerste volwaardige langspeler “Tragedy of the Commons” en in 2000 het naar onze bescheiden mening zwaar onderschatte “Tempting the Storm”. “The Light Fantastic” is nu haar eerste post-Wailin’ Jennys-worp. Luft heeft dat nochtans aardig succesvolle gezelschap inmiddels inderdaad de rug toegekeerd om haar eigen carriere nieuw leven in te blazen. En dat doet ze aan het handje van de van 54-40 bekende Neil Osborne als producer. Die Osborne heeft er op toegezien, dat Lufts voornaamste troeven hier allemaal keurig worden uitgespeeld. En in de eerste plaats natuurlijk haar fantastische stem. Haar enigszins ijle voordracht is het immers die het toelaat om haar meteen uit de duizenden te herkennen. En voorts wordt natuurlijk ook ruimschoots aandacht besteed aan haar markant akoestisch gitaarwerk en haar zonder uitzondering uitstekende songs. Daarin kiest Luft ditmaal voor een wat eigentijdsere aanpak. Zonder daarom het traditionele aspect van haar eerdere werk meteen volledig te verloochenen zoekt Luft hier naar een geluid, dat ook het hier en nu incorporeert. Een mooi voorbeeld daarvan is “Black Water Side”. Uit gelijke delen folk en blues opgetrokken, maar tegelijkertijd toch ook nadrukkelijk hengelend naar een popgezicht. Lijnrecht daartegenover staat dan weer iets als “Lord Roslyn’s Daughter”. Dat is zowel thematisch gezien als muzikaal folk van het traditionelere type. “There’s A Train” valt mede door zijn fraaie mandolineaccenten dan weer duidelijk onder de noemer Americana, “No Friend Of Mine” begint als iets van Joni Mitchell, maar bloeit geleidelijk aan open tot een wolk van een folk rock song, “No Strenght” is gewoon rock tout court, volbloed-rootsdeun “Down To The River” had absoluut niet misstaan op een Wailin’ Jennys-plaat en “Give It Up” mikt folkpopgewijs resoluut op de nodige airplay. En die wordt Cara Luft van hieruit gegund ook! “The Light Fantastic” is immers niet alleen een zeer gevarieerde, maar ook een zeer sterke plaat. 4 stars
  
  WWW.ALTCOUNTRY.NL
  Na 40 Days (zie recensie hieronder), het onlangs in Nederland uitgebrachte debuutalbum van The Wailin’ Jennys, hield Cara Luft het voor gezien en zette ze haar solocarriere voort, die ze in 2003 begonnen was met Tempting The Storm. Meteen op het eerste liedje van The Light Fantastic wordt duidelijk wat waarschijnlijk de reden was van haar vertrek: het mocht van Cara wel wat heftiger, wat grilliger, wat dwarser, wat minder gelikt. Haar aanpak van het countryroots-genre doet sterk denken aan die van Buddy Miller, die er ook graag een portie rock’n'roll doorheen roert, en die er op de begeleidende info dan ook geen doekjes om windt: ‘Cara’s new record is great, real, and heartfelt – as she is. No fluff or extra notes – just the good stuff!’ Voor deze vriendendienst wordt Buddy natuurlijk op het hoesje hartelijk bedankt, samen met zo’n veertig anderen… in plaats daarvan had Cara met een beetje moeite minstens de helft van de teksten kunnen laten afdrukken. Maar goed, in haar eentje weet ze bijna net zoveel paarden in de wacht te slepen als destijds met The Wailin’ Jennys. Dankzij haar wonderlijk mooie stem en een repertoire dat nŽt iets gedurfder is, al pakt dat niet overal even goed uit: Give It Up en No Strength zijn een beetje gewoontjes. - Rene Leverink
  
  MUSICFILEWORKZ (UK)
  Cara Luft has pretty much established herself as a leading light amongst the international folk/folk rock fraternities. A popular figure at music and guitar festivals, both at home in Canada and the rest of world, Luft is a welcome invitation return artist at the likes of the International Guitar Festival (UK) and the SXSW Conference.
  
  Hardly a newcomer to the music scene, ‘Tempting The Storm’ is Luft’s 3rd solo recording. Originally released in 2000, the album recently saw a European release through Headroom Records (UK), introducing the joys of contemporary Canadian folk rock to a wider audience.
  
  By most accounts, ‘Tempting The Storm’ falls into the folk genre. Although the album does have very strong trad folk and Celtic influences, much of the material on ‘Tempting The Storm’ leans towards what one suspects might be a hankering for the life of a rock star (‘Run To Your Lover’). Despite her obvious love of folk, Luft, upon hearing the comments about ‘hankering for the life of a rock star’, admitted to taking in Joan Jett at SXSW2004; “I got to see Joan Jett and the Black Hearts perform “I Love Rock and Roll” — it was a dream come true!” With this in mind, she deftly trades Celtic folk influences for nifty rock guitar licks. Add to that Luft’s stunning acoustic guitar work, the thoughtful and well crafted lyrics and tunes, earthy vocals, which are as much suited to the trad material (including reworkings of a couple of traditional folk songs) as they are to they groove laden indie rock on the latter half of the album, and you have a very listenable and highly entertaining semi-acoustic album.
  
  Whilst Cara’s solo recordings are widely recognised as holding their own merit, her collaborative work with Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta, as The Wailin’ Jennys, has received equally positive critical acclaim. She adds her enviable acoustic guitar skills and folk background to the collective charms and talents of the other two members of ‘The Wailin’ Jennys’, and whether one prefers Luft’s more boisterous solo work or her subtle input to the folk trio, she is undeniably near the top of the list of Canadian folk and roots acts making an impact on the international scene lately.

• Vancouver Province - Cara Luft Feature [+ Show ]
  

  Friday, September 07, 2007 I was talking to Cara Luft earlier this week as she was on Vancouver I...Friday, September 07, 2007
  
  I was talking to Cara Luft earlier this week as she was on Vancouver Island headed to Duncan to pick up her '70s era Martin acoustic being serviced before her show in Courtenay.
  
  Luft is in the midst of a tour in these parts promoting her The Light Fantastic CD, her second solo release and the first since she exited the Wailin' Jennys three years ago, the harmony trio she co-founded in 2002.
  
  Servicing her acoustic guitar is a regular part of Luft's road routine as she plays in alternate tunings, eight or more different ones per show, and tightening and slackening those strings every few songs can be hard on the neck.
  
  Besides being an outstanding singer and songwriter, Luft is an excellent guitarist, head and shoulders above most you hear in the young acoustic singer/writer world these days. She comes by it honestly.
  
  Growing up in Calgary, her parents were local stalwarts in the '60s and '70s local folk scene, playing as a duo. Before that her mother had toured in the States with her sister.
  
  "You know in that movie O Brother Where Art Thou and they have those little girls on stage singing?" says Luft. "That's kinda what my mom and my aunt did. And then her father, my grandfather, before he got married, he toured in a jazz band as a guitarist. He was phenomenal. And then his father, my great grandfather, he toured in a vaudeville show as a tenor singer. It's really interesting that there's this really strong, not just musical background, but performing background."
  
  Between lineage and growing up in a household of folk records and musicians it seems her direction in life was sealed early on. Indeed, she's been playing guitar and singing since adolescence and really got excited when she discovered Led Zeppelin. The juxtaposition of folk, especially '60s Brits like Martin Carthy and Bert Jansch, with rock is fairly evident in her acoustic music.
  
  Not for nothing did she select Neil Osborne of alternative rockers 54/40 to produce The Light Fantastic.
  
  "I wanted to work with someone outside the folk genre," says Luft. "I didn't want to make a record that sounded like everybody else's record. It was really cool to have a totally new perspective on folk recording. It was one of those experiences that kinda brings together the melding of the world."
  

• Kitchener/Waterloo Record Feature [+ Show ]
  

  Canadian folk music isn't normally the domain of rivalries, but it's easy to pick up a trace of self...Canadian folk music isn't normally the domain of rivalries, but it's easy to pick up a trace of self-satisfaction when hearing Cara Luft talk about her first solo album since leaving the highly acclaimed band the Wailin' Jennys.
  
  While the Winnipeg native doesn't overtly bear a grudge, Luft doesn't hesitate to describe The Light Fantastic as the best thing she's ever done.
  
  "I found that the band was going in a direction that I didn't want to be associated with," she says. "It was really becoming more focused on image and perception rather than music. As a result of that, there wasn't as much room for people in the band to bring their entire musical sensibilities, so I felt like I was only offering about 20 per cent of who I am. I needed to get back to playing music that had some substance and guts."
  
  Although Luft didn't have immediate plans to make a solo album when she left the band two years ago, the opportunity quickly presented itself when she met up with The Light Fantastic's producer Neil Osborne, front man of Canrock mainstays 54-40. "My mom actually knew a member of his family, so she sent him my demos and he said he'd love to make the record with me," Luft says.
  
  "He brought such a fresh perspective, being someone outside of the folk community. He really had no rules when it came to how he felt the album should sound, apart from saying that if we couldn't get something in three takes, we should leave it alone. It was the complete opposite approach to how we recorded with the Jennys, which was always really painstaking. It was such a positive experience, and that meant more to me than whether people would potentially like the record or not."
  
  For all of its relative looseness, The Light Fantastic does feature contributions from several of Canada's best acoustic musicians, including Luft's current touring partner, Hugh MacMillan, of Spirit Of The West. Yet the album remains a showcase for Luft's own inventive guitar playing, best displayed on her cover of the British folk nugget Black Water Side, which has challenged guitarists ever since Jimmy Page laid down his interpretation on the first Led Zeppelin album.
  
  "Neil really pushed me to try to combine the Zeppelin version with the traditional version of the song," Luft says. "It was a lot of work to pull off, but it felt great in the end to give it a new appearance. British folk-rock bands that took that kind of approach to traditional songs have always influenced me. That was something Neil grasped right away too, which added to the excitement of making this record."
  
  That sense of discovery is evident in Luft's original material as well, as she was keen to finally flex her songwriting muscles. "There are a few songs that I had written for the Jennys that were never going to be played by them, but the majority was written during a six-month period after I'd left the band. I went to this small town in Saskatchewan and wrote, just because I needed to release all this energy that had been suppressed for the previous few years."

• Cara Luft Feature: Luft shines Light Fantastic across N.S. [+ Show ]
  

  WINNIPEG’S Cara Luft has had a bad case of wanderlust since the release of her CD The Light Fantasti...WINNIPEG’S Cara Luft has had a bad case of wanderlust since the release of her CD The Light Fantastic, criss-crossing the country and heading overseas with James Keelaghan on a U.K. jaunt.
  
  The record even begins with There’s a Train, a bittersweet ode to hitting the road. But the former member of acclaimed folk trio the Wailin’ Jennys says she really doesn’t mind not spending much time in her home base.
  
  "We joke and call it a motivating city to live in, because if you spend the whole year there it’ll drive you bonkers," says Calgary-born Luft, who makes her first trip out East this week since a brief visit with the Wailin’ Jennys to the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival.
  
  "It’s an extreme city in terms of weather, but also it’s just so far away from everything. It’s a great city to be based in, 24 hours away from Vancouver or Toronto, but it doesn’t take long for me to get itchy feet. These days it seems like I’m away 80 per cent of the time anyway, so it always feels good to touch down at home."
  
  Those itchy feet will cover a fair bit of ground over the next week, starting on Friday in Petite Riviere as part of the Little River Folk concert series. On Sunday Luft is at the Mersey House in Liverpool, followed by shows at Stayner’s Wharf in Halifax on Wednesday, the Spitfire in Windsor on Thursday, Nov. 8, Coldbrook for the Borden Street Concert Series on Friday, Nov. 9 and at the Union Street Cafe in Berwick on Saturday, Nov. 10.
  
  Luft couldn’t even stay in one place while making The Light Fantastic, which was recorded in Winnipeg, mixed in Vancouver and mastered in Toronto. The producer’s chair was filled by 54-40 frontman Neil Osborne, with instrumental accompaniment by Spirit of the West’s Hugh McMillan, who also joins Luft for her Maritime dates.
  
  "We were contemplating recording at Neil’s house in Vancouver, but he has a dog and a cat, and I’m allergic to both, so it would suck to be sneezing in the middle of every take," laughs Luft. "So I brought them to Winnipeg to a studio that I felt comfortable and at home in, and it was a really positive experience.
  
  "My Jennys recording experiences were quite stressful, because they were very much perfection-oriented, doing 25 takes until you got it perfect. Neil’s philosophy was the opposite; he felt that after three takes you really start to lose the energy and the momentum and the spark behind the song."
  
  There is certainly a spontaneous feeling about The Light Fantastic, with Luft’s acoustic roots frequently joining forces with her inner rocker. She says Osborne pushed her past her comfort zone and helped her explore new areas of self-expression that might not have happened without his prompting.
  
  "He really understands the importance of a song, so a folk-roots record wasn’t too much of a stretch for him . . . he has a deep respect for roots music and songwriters, and really likes acoustic music.
  
  "But because of his rock background, he could see that I really loved rock music too, and really encouraged me to express that in the recording. When we were trying to decide who would play the electric guitar parts, Neil was adamant: ‘Cara, I’m putting my foot down, you have the spirit of Jimmy Page! You are playing every electric guitar part on this record!’ "

• Older Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  BARTLEY KIVES, WINNIPEG FREE PRESS “Luft possesses a strong, clear voice that's perfectly suited fo...BARTLEY KIVES, WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
  “Luft possesses a strong, clear voice that's perfectly suited for this sort of semi-acoustic material. [Her CD] Tempting The Storm is much more interesting than many of the heavily financed folk-pop [albums] released by major labels this year.”
  
  JAN BRAUN, IMPRINT (University of Waterloo)
  "While wearing her folk influences on her sleeve, Luft never lets Tempting The Storm drag or fall into simply a great rendition of the expected. These are good folk tunes Luft has crafted with the ability to go beyond the fourth fret... the woman can play!"
  
  SUITE101.COM (Los Angeles, CA)
  The Scoop: Another prodigious young talent arrives on the folk scene from Canada. Luft, at times sounding like a cross between Natalie Merchant and unplugged Alanis, seems to be slightly hung up on the sea and lost love. Luft has a lovely voice—by far the centerpiece of the album—and is comfortable whether singing her own songs or reworking vocation-themed traditionals (“My Johnny Was A Shoemaker,” “The Blacksmith”). Tempting The inevitable comparison to said peers than by anything else. It’s likely that Luft’s best and most consistent albums are ahead of her.
  
  Highlight Track: “Come All You Sailors” is a spirited opener that brings all the pieces together, featuring the whole band at their best. Especially shining here are Richard Moody on viola and Daniel Roy on percussion.
  
  Honorable Mention: The acoustic guitar in “Send An Oar” brings to mind Ani DiFranco, even if I want it to bring to mind someone I don’t cite as a benchmark so often. As usual, Luft’s lyrics are introspective and hopeful, despite being so heavy with sadness and loss. - by Adam McKibbin

Setlist

Cara's live show is an eclectic mix of material that includes British traditional folk ballads alongside original songs on topics ranging from small town Saskatchewan to Canadian figures like Romeo Dallaire, to songs about heartbreak and healing, friendship and family. Between songs she spins stories with humour, effortlessly drawing audiences into a spellbinding journey in the way of the bard. Cara’s a pro; she knows how to connect with her audience, sharing in song what all people experience -- love, loss, laughter.

Consistent strong response is bringing Cara back on return engagements in every area she has played. She looks forward to continue sharing her unique musicianship and personality to concert promoters and audiences across North America, Europe and places further afield.

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTION

Cara is becoming a much loved and sought-after music instructor, leading classes in Songwriting, Intermediate Guitar Technique, Harmony Singing, Folk/Rock Ensemble Performance (how to play in a group/band), Introductory Clawhammer Banjo, and Performance and Stagecraft. She has had great success teaching various workshops for communities, schools, music camps and festivals. Her diverse skill-set make her a welcome addition to any festival or community program.

“Cara Luft was FANTASTIC at the May FAMI camp... the most musical fun I have had in a long long time... [you] would be foolish not to snap her up.”
Sheri Brake-Muyomba, Foothills Acoustic Music Institute

Summer Festival workshop suggestions:

- Folkies who like to Rock
- Thieves of DADGAD and other tunings
- Love is friendship set on fire: Songs about relationships
- Girls with Guitars
- She Said
- What’s the speed of dark? The saddest songs you ever did hear

PERFORMANCE HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

North America

Bluebird North Concert Series
Rogue Folk Club (Vancouver)
Cochrane Valley Folk Club
Rossland Arts Council Concerts
Golden Arts Council Concerts
Watson Art Centre Concerts (Dauphin)
Northern Lights Folk Club (Edmonton)
Fish Creek Concert Series (Calgary)
Home Routes House Concert Circuits
The West End Cultural Centre (Winnipeg)
Medicine Hat Folk Club
Art Gallery of the South Okanagan Concert Series
Duncan Garage Showroom
Joe's Garage (Courtenay)
Lethbridge Folk Club
Studio Stage Door (Cranbrook)
Fernie Arts Station
Visual Arts Collective (Boise)
Hugh's Room (Toronto)
The Black Sheep Inn (Wakefield)
Music in the Meadow Concert Series (Canmore)
Tractor Tavern (Seattle)
Parker House Concert Series (Bainbridge Island)
Alberta Street Pub (Portland)
KINK FM Live Performance Lounge (Portland)
Artichoke Music (Portland)
Lumsden Arts Council Concerts
Little River Folk (NS)
London Music Club
Give a Hoot Cafe Concerts (ON)
The Railway Club (Vancouver)
The Media Club (Vancouver)
Ironwood Stage and Grill (Calgary)
Townhouse Tavern (Sudbury)
Ashcroft Opera House
The Acoustic Grill
Grand Forks Art Gallery
Kootenay Coop Radio Concerts (Nelson)
The Park Theatre (Winnipeg)
Foothills Acoustic Music Institute (Bragg Creek)
Diamond Willow Artisan Retreat (Turner Valley)
Sunshine Music Festival
Komasket Music Festival
Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival
Fire n Water Music Festival
Back 40 Folk Festival
Lunenburg Folk Festival
Festival of Friends
ArtsWells Festival
Mountain View Music Festival
Winnipeg Folk Festival
South Country Fair
North Country Fair
Prince George Folk Festival
Lilith Fair
Nessiefest
ColdSnap Music Festival
Islands Folk Festival
Mission Folk Festival

Overseas

The Stables (UK)
Little Rabbit Barn Concert Series (UK)
The Green Note in Camden (UK)
Ram Folk Club (UK)
Edinburgh Folk Club (UK)
Live at the Star Folk Club (UK)
Leith Folk Club (UK)
Devon Village Halls Concert Series (UK)
Whitstable Folk Nights (UK)
Acoustic Routes Music Club (UK)
Twickenham Folk Club (UK)
Carlisle Folk and Blues Club (UK)
The Ironworks (UK)
Carrington Triangle Folk Club (UK)
Amberley Folk Club (UK)
The Bothy Folk Club (UK)
The Farncombe Cavern (UK)
Kirkcaldy Folk Club (UK)
The Medicine Show Presents (UK)
Birdsedge Folk Festival (UK)
Maverick Music Festival (UK)
Cambridge Folk Festival (UK)
Wirral International Guitar Festival (UK)
Bute Guitar Festival (UK)
Brightlingsea Festival (UK)
Music Star (Germany)
Alte Meierei Concerts (Germany)
Jenfeld Haus Concerts (Germany)
BeLaMi (Germany)
Kulturgewächshaus Birkenried (Germany)
Bungertshof (Germany)
Thalia (Germany)
Adler Meidelstetten Concerts (Germany)
Rainer's Rock House (Germany)
Café Castaneda (Germany)
House of Blues (Germany)
Cafe De Amer Concerts (NL)
Roepaen (NL)
Paradiso (NL)
't Keerpunt (NL)
De Grote Werkschuur Festival (NL)
Folk in de Wâlden Festival (NL)
PeTiCantus (NL)
Culturehouse Patronaat (NL)
Toogenblik (Belgium)
Steinegg Live Music Festival (Italy)

Showcases

NXNE Official Showcase
SXSW Official Showcase
WCMA Official Showcase
Canadian Music Week (CMW) Official Showcase
North American Folk Alliance Official Showcase

Supported

Joan Armatrading
Band of Heathens
Loudon Wainwright
Barney Bentall
Kelly Joe Phelps

Basic Requirements

Calendar