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Country folk-singer and guitarist, Carrie Lennard's album KAYLA is something of a treat..ingenious and fresh, it is an honest and genuine album from a talented singer and guitarist
Brett Callwood - Acoustic Magazine (UK)

Featured Musician / Music Artist
Carrie Lennard
Review by Media Medley’s Earl Douglass
Watch for Carrie Lennard in the up and coming contemporary folk music scene. Carrie’s sweet, angelic voice, fine acoustic guitar skills and personal lyrics paints masterpieces of emotional snapshots on her current album, "Kayla".
Carrie’s voice, (and what a voice!), invokes favorable comparisons to Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell. Her style, though, is her own and shines with a rich luster on tracks 1, "You Make Me Sing" and 10, "Kayla".
Track 8, "Poisoned Words" is my personal favorite. This is a powerful, anger driven, blues tinged song that highlights an edgier aspect of Carrie’s voice not found elsewhere on this CD. The creative bass work by Joe Parker on this track is outstanding.
Julz Parker added to the charm of this project by producing this professional sounding CD.
- Media Medley
SONGWRITERS-IN-THE-ROUND ON TOUR
MARCH 3RD 2004
In the SODA - Salon of the Kulturbrauerei (Old Brewery), Berlin, Germany.
*
An evening of original and unplugged acoustic songs from Carrie Lennard, Ic Falkenberg, Timon Hoffmann and others, with Tom Cunningham as host.
“No distance would have been too far to come for these featured writers!!”
Carrie Lennard flew in from London that same morning with Jae Avery (Founder of Girls with Guitars UK and songwriter) and Mandy Mayhew (singer, writer, performer) and, as the evening progressed, Carrie showed the spectrum of her amazing musical talent - from melodic songs with real bluesy feeling up to her rocky and powerful singing where she was superbly supported by Mandy Mayhew, whose voice “nuanced” the songs with incredible sensitivity and timing. As most people who have seen and heard her know, Carrie plays a fabulous acoustic guitar. In the words of the sound guys, “It was just ready to record!”
Tom Cunningham Founder & Organiser of Songwriters-in-the-round Tour
- Tom Cunningham - Berlin, Germany
“Kayla”
Carrie Lennard - London singer-songwriter
(CD review by David Taylor of Music Maker Magazine)
First impressions are what a great sound Carrie Lennard makes on the car stereo - she has accumulated a catholic musical taste ranging from Beethoven to Norah Jones. This has created an eclectic mix which has gone into the melting pot to produce her own singing and writing style showcased on “Kayla”. Carrie sings like someone who finds it (in her own words) “just like breathing”.
She is based mainly in the London area and has a full gigging schedule and a trip to Nashville later in the year. She performs solo or with a band and has for the past few years been involved with the UK branch of the “Girls with Guitars” project.
Carrie’s mid-Atlantic tones span the full emotional and tonal range from sensitive to powerful, sensuous to sensual, from “folkie” to almost Gloria Gaynor soul power on “Frontiers”.
The headphones test reveals she is a wordsmith of no mean talent. Many of her lyrics are impressionistic, pictures in the cloud poems, but she can also write in a more direct style. She writes totally devoid of clichés and takes obvious delight in the sound of words. Topics covered include joy in relationships, friendship, broken dreams - inevitably reflective considering Carrie’s seventies origins. “Letter from a fish & chip shop” gives the impression of the mind wandering. “I want” is a pop song just about fancying someone (perhaps a cheeky hint of the Spice Girls - I can just imagine the choreography for this one) - “You make me sing” and “I can fly” are beautiful unpretentious love songs.
Carrie is more than ably assisted by a group of backing musicians who she is used to playing alongside and who know how to empathise with and augment the songs without intruding on them.
My overall impression is one of total genuiness of someone who enjoys what they are doing and of someone who should perhaps be a more well known name than they are - perhaps “Kayla” might benefit from taking a tour in the provinces!
www.carrielennard.com
- Music Maker Magazine (UK)
Discography
2003 Live at the Fire Station
2005 Kayla
Kayla is sold through the www.carrielennard.com website and CDbaby (all songs streamed)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The music is acoustic and crosses over into jazz, blues, flamenco.......the songs are strong and the rhythms electric.....Carrie's vocals are distinct, reminiscient of great singers like Mary Black and Cleo Lane. The band co-exist between London UK and the Gold Coast, Australia. Julz is simply the most brilliant guitarist. We are planning recording for next year, either at my gaff or hers!!
Influences include a bizarre list of noted artists like Beethoven, Paul Robeson, Kathleen Ferrier (up to the age of 10) and after that Carrie was picking out the things she liked from Tamala Mowtown, folk/ country, jazz, blues. Mandy's influences are definitely theatre. She was an actress in the West End London for 15 years so she's a stickler for getting things right! Julz is the best female guitarist in Australia, not my words, other people in the business who know their business. She's fabulous to watch and listen.....check www.projectwinterhaven.com then you'll know what I'm on about. Julz and Carrie met at Girls with Guitars (UK) and worked together on the monthly shows. It was an opportunity too good to miss and they got right on with recording the album before she had to fly home to the Gold Coast. The story goes on and 2006 is going to be an exciting year....we're leaving the doors open.....come in and join the fun!!
Josh Turner
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