Dawn Mitschele

She's been compared to singers Corinne Bailey Rae and Edie Brickell. Mitschele, a New Jersey native is on the rise in the SoCal acoustic scene. The singer-songwriter was voted Best New Acoustic Artist at the 2007 San Diego Honoring Acoustic Talent Awards and has been featured on CTN's "Java Jams" show, as well as on local morning news programs. She's currently working on a follow-up to her previous release, "Town of Trees." - San Diego Magazine

By Tim Mudd
We don't experience a vast seasonal difference here in the Southland, but for those of us who have known a brisk winter or three, I do believe I may have just discovered the perfect soundtrack to quietly falling leaves, a romantic fire-side intimacy, or a solitary crackling on the crispy ground.

There are few artists who can draw and retain a listener's attention using minimal instrumentation to cradle a perfectly emotive voice. There are even fewer who leave you wishing someone had seen their brilliance and afforded them the opportunity to record a full-length album as opposed to a six-song EP. With Town of Trees, New Jersey native Dawn Mitschele has swept through my deliberately random criteria and delivered far their expectations.

Although I always endeavor to avoid clichés, the magic of Town of Trees is not simply what is there but what isn't. The air that holds Mitschele's sleepy vocal melodies and tastefully picked acoustic guitar is just as important to the overall vibe of the recording as is the slide guitar, banjo, and mandolin accompaniment of producer Aaron Bowen.

On the subject of Bowen, he has once again placed his own honed style to one side and worked collaboratively with the artist toward supporting the songs at hand (which is, um, what a producer should do). The end result is a piece that sits comfortably in the line of recent recordings which should shine his neon sign as one of the most consistent production talents working in San Diego today.

Lyrically, Mitschele is searching for something and, like many of us, probably isn't quite sure what that something is; there is, however, definitely something missing. Be it in her heart, her life, or her soul; like the air in the production, her tiring search as an artist – and as a person – becomes her gift to the listener. The "search" is a human trait; it's just pleasant once in a while to be reminded – be it musically or otherwise – that we're not alone.

So where's the critique? Well, there's little I can say. From start to finish, Town of Trees is a great record that's rounded in all the right places. I could say that I didn't care for the rim-tap "drums" in "At the Station" and I'd swear I caught a bum guitar note somewhere in track three. But what I hope does come across here is that Mitschele has unveiled just about as perfect a first step as a recording artist as one can give.

From the knit sweater charm of "Float like a Feather" to the desperately long night of "Far to Go," Town of Trees does its best with what it has. It is a treat to be disarmed in this capacity by an artist before they garner more wherewithal to grow into a larger studio environment with more at their disposal. Were I Mitschele, I'd be worried to pass her next effort by way of this reviewer because from this point forward, she has a lot to live up to.


- Troubadour