Anjuli Dawn
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Anjuli Dawn

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Band Folk Singer/Songwriter

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Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"CD Baby Review of Give"

"Sometimes, the things that grab you most about an album don't register until the second, third or fourth listen. Sometimes, it's a sneaky kind of slow wonder that settles into your bones, that feeling of "something here is incredibly right." Anjuli Dawn and her disc, "Give" possess that kind of subtlety and care. While some may try to boil it down simply to the female folk rock genre, there is a distinctive, incessant and driving determination to her songs, a kind of resilient emotionality that quietly insists on being heard that gives her music an additional dimension of meaning and appeal. So, even though there is more than immediately meets the ear here, if female folk rock appeals to you in the slightest, this is an album to spend time with." - Tamara Turner, CD Baby


"St. Croix Music Review of Give"

Along time ago I heard someone say that there are several routes to musical success, but the one that they preferred was the adventurous journey of being recognizable, while being unique at the same time. It’s like giving the people what they want and expressing your originality in the same package. Well readers, the artist that I’m presenting to you in this article has that hard to find balance all wrapped up and waiting for you to discover. This artist is Anjuli Dawn.

Radiating her talents all the way from Rochester, Michigan and reaching this publication in the Caribbean, she has given us a reason to add another star with her name on it to our flag of musical independence. One that we wave each month as we discover someone who shows great talent and original musical abilities while standing on their own feet in a world over run by record company slaves. She is doing a wonderful job promoting and presenting her music in a very professional manner while maintaining a high level of musical achievements.

I was very impressed when I heard the CD that she sent us. I can hear several influences that stand out. Now it’s not my style as a writer to compare our artist with others, but I will say that she must have listened to Joni Mitchell, Celtic instrumental music, and some of the modern day Alternative female singers. I’m also guessing that she puts a lot of thought into the recording of not only her voice, but the selection of acoustic instruments on these fine songs. Along with her own talents on guitar, bouzouki, and mandolin, she incorporates the well voiced piano playing of her Brother Jesse Elder who is a jazz musician. A few of the recordings even include a string section that adds a worldly flavor and sophistication to a musical bed that gracefully carries her silky smooth voice. Her guitar playing seems to cascade through a waterfall of flowing original melodies powered by a river of endless uplifting vocals, while her lyrics take you on journeys through an emotional spectrum of joys and sorrows, insights and outlooks on the world around her. - St. Croix Music


"Macro-Management Review of Give"

Give
acoustic musings of a driven songwriter

Lilting vocals and hard-earned musical prowess propel Anjuli Dawn’s new cd Give. The latest release from Anjuli contains well-crafted songs with a purpose that translate her captivating live performances. Give exhibits that Anjuli Dawn carries on the tradition of folk singer/songwriter with the ease of someone twice her age.

Anjuli Dawn’s fourth release brings the artist full circle in a ten-year career that began at the age of 14 singing in the “family band” and spans all the way to writing, engineering and producing Give. Her avid desire for musical knowledge is revealed in the multi-instrumental approach Anjuli takes to this cd performing not only on the guitar, but also bouzouki, mandolin, and djembe. Anjuli Dawn’s pop sensibilities surface immediately with the first track’s request to “Open Your Heart.” The roots-inflected piece “Why” betrays Anjuli’s current residence in the mountains of North Carolina. Her penchant for odd meters is displayed tastefully in the swing/rock mix of “Sweet Spot.”

Anjuli Dawn’s Give adds to the beautiful legacy of folk acoustic music. This album is already garnering the attention of industry types with comments such as “a distinctive, incessant and driving determination to her songs, a kind of resilient emotionality that quietly insists on being heard…” – CD Baby
- Macro-Management


"TheCelebrityCafe.com Review of Give"

Anjuli Dawn - Give
- Like a female John Mayer, Anjuli Dawn’s acoustic music is catchy, pop-like and sweet. Unlike Mayer, though, Dawn’s album "Give" is more folksy and was independently released.

Dawn took at a shot at engineering, recording and producing "Give" by herself, which brought about good results. The album sounds great in all aspects--everything from the songwriting to the sound balance between the vocals and the instruments.

The three main sounds on the album are piano, guitar and the vocals. Other instruments make small appearances. Track six has several stringed instrument parts, which give the song somewhat of a country sound in the beginning and a more dramatic sound at the end.

Track five is also interesting because it ends with an a cappella voice part. The song shows that simplicity is sometimes the key to great writing.

Each song on "Give" has a distinct sound that sets it apart from the others and sets the album as a whole apart from other albums.

Reviewer: Lauren B.
- Lauren B., The Celebrity Cafe


"Rambles review of Reason"

Anjuli Dawn is a young singer-songwriter out of the Detroit, Michigan area. In many ways, her music is reminiscent of Lisa Loeb.

Anjuli is still in her early 20s, but she has already had almost 20 years of musical experience. She began playing piano at age 5. Since then she has added guitar, mandolin and bouzouki to her repertoire. She began singing in her teen years and has a voice to match her expertise on her instruments of choice. Anjuli's third full-length album, Reason, was released in 2004.

One of my favorite tracks is the bizarrely named "Under the Name." These words are part of the lyrics, but they don't leap out at you as an apt title. What does jump out at you is the instrumentation as well as some well-placed quotes. The song starts off with "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" (attributed to "some psychologist") and ends with "Destiny's not a matter of chance. It's a matter of choice. It's not a thing to be waited for. It's a thing to achieve" (Eleanor Roosevelt).

"Here in My Temple" is a great guitar piece. There is some serious strumming going on. Anjuli sings with passion when she sings the chorus: "I am here in my temple, behind my guitar. And if you'll meet me halfway, I think I can go that far. Emotion is coming like a river. I'm gonna let it run. And if you are a mistake, you're a beautiful one." I almost get choked up as she repeats the last two lines multiple times. (This track often gets repeated at least once on my CD player before listening to the next one).

Anjuli wrote all the lyrics and played all but double-bass (Joshua Granowski) on Reason. At one point in her life, she had plans of going to college to focus on environmental studies. A car wreck a few days after her high school graduation changed her direction in life. Realizing that life was a blessing, she decided to focus on her musical talents. Maybe that car wreck happened for a reason. But wait, just two paragraphs ago, I stated, "Destiny's ... a matter of choice." OK ... I'm glad she was in a wreck (but not hurt past a point she couldn't recover) so that she made the choice to pursue a music career.

Anjuli Dawn might not be a household name like Brittany Spears or Jessica Simpson, but she is, in my opinion, a much more highly talented musician. Folk-rock is definitely underrated compared to pop. Of course, if you wanted Top 40 pop reviews, you wouldn't be reading Rambles. My guess is that you will agree with me regarding Anjuli. Check out her website and listen to samples from her third release, Reason, to find out what you think. - Will Owen, Rambles.net


"Collected Sounds Review of Reason"

There is some really nice acoustic guitar playing here. Dawn's style is quite reminiscent of early Ani DiFranco's. Though Dawn's voice is much softer than DiFranco's. It's strong and gutsy but still has a sweet quality. Very nice.

Anjuli uses the guitar as percussion instrument as well as a melody maker. I like her sense of rhythm as well. She doesn't just use run of the mill tempos, she mixes it up a little and it sounds great.

Lyrically, Anjuli is also a very strong songwriter. Her words are powerful and intelligently written.

On "Here in My Temple" she sings:

I am here in my temple
Behind my guitar
And if you will meet me halfway
I think I can go that far
Emotion is coming like a river
I'm gonna let it run
And if you are a mistake
You're a beautiful one
If you've got room for an... Ani-type in your collection, this is a good choice...

Stand out songs: Other than "Here In My Temple" I like, "Summer Storm", "That Kind of Beautiful", though they're all strong songs. - Amy Lotsberg, Collected Sounds, 2004.


Discography

2006 Give
2004 Reason
2003 Demo 10.3
2001 If I Stand
2000 While I Live
1998 For All You're Worth

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

On her fourth studio album, Give, Anjuli Dawn expresses herself with a startling fulsomeness - she takes us on a journey, showing us what it means to live vibrantly through life's ups and downs.

The disc, released independently on September 6 th , 2006, maintains much of the organic, sound of its predecessors, Reason (2004), If I Stand (2001), and While I Live (2000). On her latest effort Anjuli really took the reigns by engineering, recording, and producing this album all on her own. The effect eclipses her earlier work, surpassing listeners' expectations and transporting them to new ground. She brings forth a musical vision she is excited to share, while donating proceeds from CD sales to the world's hungry. She says, "Releasing Give feels monumental to me. I really got what I wanted; we turned what I was hearing in my head into something that other people could hear."

And, other people are hearing Give. CD Baby has featured Give on their site, praising the album, "...it's a sneaky kind of slow wonder that settles into your bones, that feeling of ' something here is incredibly right. ' Anjuli Dawn and her disc, Give , possess that kind of subtlety and care...there is a distinctive, incessant and driving determination to her songs, a kind of resilient emotionality...that gives her music an additional dimension of meaning and appeal...if female folk rock appeals to you in the slightest, this is an album to spend time with."

While the 24-year old songwriter from Rochester, Michigan laid the groundwork with her driving guitar, bouzouki, and mandolin parts, her music takes on an additional dimension as she incorporates new instrumentation on Give: piano tracks (played by her brother, jazz musician Jesse Elder), and a string section. As before, Anjuli explores the themes of emotion, integrity, loss, and joy in her lyrics, icing the cake with rich vocals and background harmonies. "My hope for this project was to create a timeless record that will still be enjoyed 10 years down the road," says Dawn.

Anjuli has performed for hundreds of audiences throughout Canada and the United States with great response. She began playing at age 5, and performing at age 14 with her mother's band. She has studied song writing and structure under Heather Childs and grammy-nominated Karen Taylor-Good, and shared stages with the likes of Livingston Taylor, Emaline Delapaix, Victoria Vox, and Josh White.

Anjuli Dawn puts on a memorable show; her guitar style is lively and refreshing, her presence warm and inviting. As P.J. Powell, President of Paladine Music puts it, "Anjuli Dawn knows how to use her God-given talent. When I looked at her for the first time I thought, 'yeah right...let's see what this pip-squeak can do.' She made me eat my words. She blew me away! Anjuli is definitely connected with the magic."