Catherine McInnes

Exposed is a fitting title for Catherine McInnes' new CD. Through her music she reveals her own struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and repressed emotions that were literally making her physically ill. She has turned the pain into art in a CD that is both melancholic and uplifting and well suited to McInnes' Joni Mitchell - like vocals. She receives fine musical support from jazz musicians Ian Mackay (drums) Andrew Downing (bass and cello) and especially the muted trumpet work of Kevin Turcotte that gives tracks like 'Long Dark Road' appropriate poignancy. The recording will touch you with its raw emotion and its eventual cathartic conclusion. (Reviewed by Dave Clark for Scene Magazie
Performance B + Production B +) - Scene Magazine, London ON

I'm beginning to think there's something special about London's drinking water - and I'm not talking about the lead. For a mid-sized city we have more than our fair share of talented singer-songwriters, and when we're lucky, they make a CD.
Catherine McInnes is one of those local talents and her second release, Exposed, is a real gem - a mellow, jazz-infused album that never misses a beat.

McInnes shared her thoughts about the project in an email that arrived a few days after I first popped in her CD. "Thanks for exploring dark territotry with me." came as a surprise. Quiet, introspective, moody - those were my first impressions of this 13 song collection - but not dark.

Exposed is in fact a bit of a coming-out for McInnes. "I am exposing myself as someone who is dealing with Post Traumatic Ctress Disorder as a result of my mother's suicide when I was a teenager," she wrote.

"There's no shame in having a tragic family history - just a lot of pain and sadness to deal with," McInnes continued. "Trauma however becomes like a permanent stain on the brain until you figure out how to soften the indelible marks. Making art out of pain has been a powerful way to process inner conflict and find meaning in personal tragedy."

Songs like "Haunted" and "Exposed" explore the challenges of living with personal demons, while "Seeds of Hope" expresses the fear of having faith in the future. "Waltzing On Eggshells," paints an intimate portrait of domestic inertia and recently won an Ontario Council of Folk Festivals' Songs From The Heart Award. McInnes will be performing it as part of the OCFF's conference October 11 to 14 at the London Convention Centre.

"Hymn For Chris" was written in honour of London playwright and documentary maker Chris Doty, who committed suicide in January, 2006. "Often where there's such brilliance there's an equal intensity of darkness," McInnes wrote."The song has become an anthem for the artistic spirit, but also a hymn for healing to honour Chris and the loved ones that are left to try to make sense out of suicide."

McInnes has that rare ability to exlore difficult topics without crossing into awkward self-indulgence. Her songs are beautifully crafted and flow together to from a seamless, coherent musical experience.

McInnes' stylish vocals are backed by some familiar names: bassist Andrew Downing, drummer Ian Mackay, guitarist Jason Fowler, fiddler Anne Lindsay, trumpeter Kevin Turcotte and organist Dan Santarella. Together the ensemble weaves a captivating tapestry of sound. Exposed may explore dark territory, but this album is anything but deprerssing.

The CD is available at L'Atelier Grigorian, The Village Idiot, Curiousities, and at CDbaby.com

Nicole Laidler is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario's journalism program and a former baroque oboist. - October 2007 Artscape - Nicole Laidler

(excerpt from promotional article for CD release concert)...personal and soulful songs....some of her titles - Discovering Gravity, Mamma Speak and Seeds of Hope - may give you an idea of Exposed's strength and emotional pulls.

James Reaney, London Free Press - London Free Press

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

By Joe Matyas
Sun Media

Catherine McInnes, the Artistic Director of the Home County Folk Festival, has won a provincial competition for songwriting performers.

An original song called Waltzing on Eggshells was judged to be the best song by a panel of judges who recently heard 400 submissions, the General Manager of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) said yesterday. "It was a decision free of politics and outside influences," said Jennifer Fornelli. "The judges didn't know who the performers were. The osongs were only identified by a number."

Council members were delighted McInnes won the Songs From The Heart competition, considering the London teacher and musician is part of Ontario's folk festival scene, said Fornelli. As the person who books Home County's performers, she's a proven Artistic Director, she said. "This award proves she's a good singer and songwriter too."

McInnes, known as a performer of both folk and jazz, released an independent CD last year called Exposed. She's scheduled to perform the prize winning tune at the OCFF's annual conference at the London Convention Centre on Oct 13th. - London Free Press

5. Catherine McInnes: Exposed (Self-released)

The title has it right. This is music that is exposed -- raw, naked, confessional, emotional. Built around McInnes's vocals and piano, Exposed carries a torch and sense of hope into the darkest corners of the soul. Joining her are an all-star cast of guests (Dann Santarella, Andrew Downing, Kevin Turcotte, Ian MacKay, Jason Fowler, Anne Lindsay) on what might otherwise have been a lonely journey. Exposed ends with a song about it being a miracle she has come this far.

Words to live by: "Cathy's on the run again, chasing demons down. Questing hard for reasons with the wisdom of a clown."

- London Free Press