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 latest solo album, produced by 54-40 frontman Neil Osborne and engineered 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 playing fully accomplished and intricate, her voice distinctive, compelling and heartfelt. Cara’s choice of cover songs, notably the traditional Olde English ballad “Lord Roslyn’s Daughter” and the timeless English folk classic “Black Water Side” 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.
Leave it to Canadian music elder statesman Terry David Mulligan to sum it up best: “This is her time and this is the album. Make way for Cara Luft before she kicks your door down.”
"Cara's new record is great, real, and heartfelt - as she is. No fluff or extra notes - just the good stuff!" - Buddy Miller
"Co-founder of the vocal trio The Wailin' Jennys, Luft's CD 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." - Vintage Guitar Magazine
"Luft is a consummate performer. Unlike so many singer-songwriters, [her] music has an urgency that can't be denied." - Americana UK
"The Light Fantastic is one of the surprise albums of the year. The second solo disc from Cara Luft shows that the singer/songwriter was wise to leave her former band the Wailin' Jennys. Encompassing folk, country, rock and blues, the record features the moving epic The Light and the tough-talking Give It Up." - Vancouver Courier
"Cara Luft is one of the best female country musicians to come out of Canada since Neko Case. Just add a few shredding electric guitars." - Keegy Australia
“The Light Fantastic is rooted in the folk tradition but slathered in rock ‘n’ roll. Luft’s clean and clear vocal soars powerfully above the heady blend of country, folk, roots, rock and more traditional fare. She may be Jenny no longer but she’s still wailin’. 4 stars” - Winnipeg Free Press
“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.” - Monday Magazine
“The Light Fantastic showcases Luft’s exceptional abilities as a guitarist and her compelling and distinctive voice. Moreover, the original songs on this album are a powerful combination of imagination, rhythmic power and social commentary...” - Toronto Star
“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. She is a deep and funky wonder...”
- Frank Goodman, Puremusic (NYC, Nashville)
“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)” - Wildy’s World
“Cara Luft left the Wailin’ 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. The brassy Canuck’s release aims for a dustier, edgier sound, but gathering from the swirly-drawn cover art 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.” - PopMatters.com
“Luft fits the model of the dynamic yet sensitive girl with a guitar, along the lines of Shawn Colvin. However, the idea of a viable country career is also within her range of possibilities. The real standouts [on The Light Fantastic] are the album's least commercial pieces… The nearly six-and-a-half-minute, spiritually evocative opus The Light is quite simply stunning. The Light Fantastic is the fulfillment of a talent hinted at on the Wailin' Jennys' second album, 40 Days.” - Herizons Magazine
Instrumentation
Cara Luft - acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, banjo, lead vocals
Hugh McMillan - bass, octave mandolin, lap steel, guitar, vocals
Damon Mitchell - electric guitar, drums/percussion, vocals
Discography
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 - Tradgedy of the Commons (EP) (1997)
Cara Luft - Train to Freedom (5 song EP) (1996)
Links
| http://www.caraluft.com |
| Cara Luft Website |
| Cara Luft on Myspace |
| Black Hen Music |