cary cooper

Artist Information

Biography

"Cary is the Anne Lamott of songwriting...except she can get to the heart of things in 3 minutes instead of 200 pages.
- Guitars in the Classroom

"Cary, I would do a show with you just to hear your songs again. You're a friggin genius!" - Pierce Pettis

"Cary Cooper has delivered a masterpiece" — Performing Songwriter

2012 Finalist Telluride Troubadour Contest
2012 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist
2011 Cast in nationally televised "Troubadour, Tx"
2010 Finalist Sister's Dave Carter Memorial Contest
2009 Finalist Sister's Dave Carter Memorial Contest
2007 Finalist Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Contest
2004 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist
2004 Finalist Mountain Stage Newsong Contest
2004 WINNER Kerrville New Folk Contest

Cary Cooper has been working. Working hard. And it’s showing in every career move she makes.

In early 2011, Cary was spotted by the producers of Troubadour, Tx, a new TV docu/drama that premiered in September 2011 on the CW network. Along with several other Texas songwriters (including her husband, Tom Prasada-Rao), Cary was cast on the show. Part of her appeal is the unique songs she’s been writing on her cute little pineapple ukulele.

Cary picked up the uke in the summer of 2010 and it blew open the door to a brand new batch of songs that are featured on her new CD, “Pink Umbrella”. Produced by Jagoda & Tom Prasada-Rao (and featuring the incredible musicianship of Radoslav Lorkovic, Jeffrey Barnes of Brave Combo, Rich Feridun, Jason Rafalak and Brad Yoder), "Pink Umbrella" is light and whimsical in nature, these songs reflect what make Cary stand out in a crowd. She draws you in with her own sense of charm then hits you over the head with lyrics that are deceptively deep. Songs like “Suzanne”, about a 43 year old woman who takes a brief reprieve from the drudgeries of her life to join the circus; and “Jimmy Stewart”, a sweet natured yet angsty song, about the differences in real life love and the love you find in old movies. “Pink Umbrella” is set to release in the fall of 2011 coinciding with her main stage set at the Kerrville Wine & Music Festival and the debut of Troubadour, Tx.

For the bulk of her career as a performing songwriter, Cary has toured with her husband, Tom Prasada-Rao; first as the duo, The Dreamsicles, and more recently as solo artists sharing shows. 2011 marks the year that Cary will begin to tour primarily as her own solo act. She will be opening for larger acts and splitting bills with other songwriters across the country. Be sure to catch her when she’s in your area. You won’t want to miss this rising star.
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On her 2009 release, Dirty Little Secret, Cary eloquently says the things we ALL think, but rarely have the courage to say; and she does so within the framework of hauntingly beautiful melodies and hip grooves.

Mary Gauthier met Cary in 2007 at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival where Cary was a finalist in the Songwriters Showcase. Mary sings background vocals on one of the songs on DLS and has this to say about Cary's latest project:

"Cary Cooper's new CD has captured me. It is so very well written, well sung and well recorded that I've found myself listening over and over again for the sheer pleasure of it, and the songs now sit in my heart like old friends. Her song stories are tales of a woman's hard earned wisdom as she embarks on that lonely spiritual journey that leads her to her self. Cary's voice is disarming and seductive, beautiful and inviting, but beware, these tales are not all easy to swallow. The road is rocky and the lessons come hard. But what an honest ride she takes us on! This is a wonderful record, and I hope that people will discover it and fall in love with it like I have." (Mary Gauthier)

Instrumentation

Cary Cooper - ukulele, Tenor Ukulele and Guitar

Discography

Pink Umbrella 2011 (Cary Cooper)
Dirty Little Secret 2009 (Cary Cooper)
Yellow 2005 (Cary Cooper)
Luv Songs for Grown Ups 2005 (The Dreamsicles)
The Dreamsicles 2003 (The Dreamsicles)
Gypsy Train 2002 (Cary Cooper)

Official Website

http://www.carycooper.com

Links

• Twitter
• Facebook
• cary cooper's website

Audio

• Tin Man
  Listen   Download
• if i could fall asleep
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• gandhi drove a cab
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• Little Things
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• I Believe
• Jimmy Stewart
• Drop in the Bucket
• suzanne
• slingshot
• little miracle
• Little Things
• Zu Zu's Petals
• Wildest Dreams

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Performing Songwriter reviews Dirty Little Secret [+ Show ]
  

  Cary Cooper has one of those voices—the kind you long for at the end of a hard day. She starts singi...Cary Cooper has one of those voices—the kind you long for at the end of a hard day. She starts singing and you just sit back, close your eyes and breathe a little deeper.
  
  The Dallas-based singer-songwriter has delivered a masterpiece in the form of her latest record, Dirty Little Secret. The gentle, mostly acoustic arrangements weave effortlessly around the intimate poetry of Cooper’s lyrics. “My dirty little secret spilled out on the kitchen floor as you pour your second cup of tea / And I can’t clean it up the way I always did before, on the sly so no one else could see,” she confesses on the title track.
  
  Cooper gets help on Secret from producer Tom Prasada-Rao and fellow musicians Tim Burlingame (Sweet Talk Radio), Jonathan Byrd and Mary Gauthier. But even with such indie star power, it’s Cooper who shines brightest. One thing’s for sure—if she keeps making music like this she won’t remain a secret for long. —MW

• Texas Music Magazine reviews Dirty Little Secret [+ Show ]
  

  True to its title, Cary Cooper’s Dirty Little Secret plays like a night of bedside confessions — som...True to its title, Cary Cooper’s Dirty Little Secret plays like a night of bedside confessions — some fun and flirty, others hinting at perhaps even deeper secrets best left hidden. But even when revealing her guilty pleasure of sharing questionably platonic phone calls on the sly with a man who’s not her significant other, Cooper’s delivery is softened with a reassuring sweetness that makes you want to hear more. Although both Cooper and her producer husband, Tom Prasada-Rao, are Kerrville New Folk winners, there’s nothing remotely folky about Dirty Little Secret; it’s light, airy adult-contemporary pop reminiscent of Lisa Loeb or Abra Moore. But apart from the giddy “Every Thing is Coming True,” the record is often subtle to a fault, full of quiet little melodies that discreetly tap you on the shoulder rather than overtly hook you. But as the hushed beauty of “Edge of the World” makes clear from the start, Cooper and her little secrets are worth your attention.
  -Richard Skanse
  

• AltCountry Forum reviews Dirty Little Secret [+ Show ]
  

  While outside the clouds are gathering and it appears that the city can prepare for more rain, insid...While outside the clouds are gathering and it appears that the city can prepare for more rain, inside the sun is shining. The cause of this delight is ‘Dirty Little Secret’, the third solo album of Texas singer-songwriter Cary Cooper, who along with husband / musician / producer Tom Prasada-Rao also recorded two albums as The Dreamsicles. Honesty compels me to say that until recently Cary Cooper was a noble stranger to me and that I learned about her music during one of my musical excursions on the Internet. But the reception was more than pleasant.
  
  ‘Dirty Litlle Secret’ contains some of the most intimate songs I’ve heard this year. The liner notes on the CD are significant to this regard: ‘I’ve always been afraid of he truth. This collection of songs is my coming out party. ‘ And what a wonderful party this CD is!
  
  The opening ballad ‘Edge Of The World’ offers a more than a decent impression of what the following eleven songs will bring. A beautiful melody, a soft, somewhat sultry voice, sometimes reminiscent of Sheryl Crow and Shawn Colvin, lyrics that have nothing to hide, and a bunch of musicians who pour their hearts out into each song (just listen to the simple but very expressive cello of Dirje Smith).
  
  Songs like ‘Have Faith In Me’, ‘For The God Whose Name I Used To Know ‘(great lyrics!) and ‘Consider Me ‘(a short piano ballad about doubt and the difficult road to building and maintaining self-confidence) show Cary Cooper from her most sensitive and truthful side. What makes these songs, and essentially the whole album, this strong is that the intimacy never gets over the top or becomes pathetic. That’s a trap many other artists are not always able to avoid. Partly thanks to the excellent production of Tom Prasada-Rao, who chose a nice open and bright sound, Cary Cooper succeeds in avoiding this trap. And that is no small merit.
  
  Some listeners / readers might say ‘Dirty Little Secret’ is slightly too soft or too soft-hearted. As there are people who don’t like Impressionist painters or the poetry of the Roman poet Ovid. So be it. It won’t keep me from frequently gazing at these paintings, reading those poems and enjoying this great album. - Martin Overheul

• Buddy Magazine reviews Dirty Little Secret [+ Show ]
  

  Cary Cooper’s Dirty Little Secret is filled with thoughtful emotional dances about the secrets we ke...Cary Cooper’s Dirty Little Secret is filled with thoughtful emotional dances about the secrets we keep from others and ourselves, and the freedom in letting them out. Her almost-little-girl whisper of a voice wraps itself around simple-but-not-too-simple lyrics and music that sometimes reaches toward layers of lushness.
  
  The dozen songs are basically smooth alt-pop, whatever that means; they’re mostly originals that Cooper wrote or co-wrote.
  
  To break Dirty Little Secrets into the two traditional genders and to flirt with the stereotypes, Cooper expresses a strong female viewpoint in the songs, which may mean that women will empathize the most while men need to hear it the most. Maybe these are messages for her two daughters; maybe these are just songs about what was on her mind, maybe . . .
  
  She sings of falling off the “Edge of the World” again, hoping for somebody to catch her or join her in the atmosphere. She sings of self-worth and insecurity, and of wanting to face the future rather than her fears. She sings of no longer being shackled to her shame, and of wondering whether happiness will last.
  
  Cooper doesn’t make it sound depressing, though; the CD borders on seductive without crossing any lines.
  
  Tom Prasado-Rao plays a bunch of guitars and keyboards and strings, accompanied by several folks on various other songs. - Tom Geddie

• Mary Gauthier Quote [+ Show ]
  

  "Cary Cooper's new CD, Dirty Little Secret, has captured me. It is so very well written, well sung a..."Cary Cooper's new CD, Dirty Little Secret, has captured me. It is so very well written, well sung and well recorded that I've found myself listening over and over again for the sheer pleasure of it, and the songs now sit in my heart like old friends. Her song stories are tales of a woman's hard earned wisdom as she embarks on that lonely spiritual journey that leads her to her self. Cary's voice is disarming and seductive, beautiful and inviting, but beware, these tales are not all easy to swallow. The road is rocky and the lessons come hard. But what an honest ride she takes us on! This is a wonderful record, and I hope that people will discover it and fall in love with it like I have."
  Mary Gauthier

• Letter from DJ Mary Post [+ Show ]
  

  Subj: CARY - Got the CD at WVUD and it is BODACIOUS!! Hi Cary- It's like this - I've got a stack...Subj: CARY - Got the CD at WVUD and it is BODACIOUS!!
  
  Hi Cary-
  It's like this - I've got a stack of cd's to review for the station and how the hell am I suppose to do that when I can't take your CD out of my Cd player??? It's impossible - you have made it impossible to do my job.
  Thank you for Yellow - for the music, the lyrics, the messages beyond the lyrics, what I extrapolate from the songs and the groove.
  Please consider doing an interview with me on WVUD sometime - live, telephone, taped in the studio for the show, with Tom, whenever in the next year - I'm in Newark, DE on I-95 - the drug corridor!!
  Thank you for making my job a bitch!!
  Truly,
  Mary Post
  WVUD-FM
  Perkins Student Center
  University of Delaware
  Newark, DE 19716

Setlist

TRACK LISTING FOR DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
(in album order)

1. edge of the world
2. dirty little secret
3. everything is coming true
4. forgive what i find
5. have faith in me
6. wondering
7. pretty girls
8. thinking about it
9. for the god whose name i used to know
10. seventh grade
11. rubber ball
12. consider me

Basic Requirements

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