Layla Zoe

"Great blues!"
Eric Clapton/(Myspace comment)

"So sweet. Good luck!"
Mick Taylor/(Myspace comment)

"Enjoyed your songs."
Little Feat/(Myspace comment)

- Myspace.com

"Some singers are like sports cars, some are like pickup trucks. Layla is a 440 Six Pack
at full throttle. Fasten the 5 point restraints,
folks..."
Vince R. Ditrich/Spirit of the West/Vinsynch

- Personal review

"Powerful voice,clean recording,great playing, great songs, strong emotion...what else is there?"
Richard Sales/Glasswing Studios

- Richard Sales

"Layla convinced me she was a great musician the first time I heard her sing. It took all of 15 seconds. I remain her devoted fan. I hope the rest of the world catches on soon." -Bill Johnson/the Bill Johnson Band

- Personal review

"Layla Zoe has a voice thats powerful and edgy and a presence that rocks the soul. The first time I heard her I got goosebumps before she'd finished
singing her first line! She'll go far...just watch her."
-Dawn Tyler Watson/Professional singer

- Personal review www.layla.ca.

"When Danny Marks, the band and Layla dug into the music, the folks
at our table were exclaiming things like, "Are you hearing this young
lady sing? Can you believe this?! Wow! This is history in the making!" It was as if, everyone had seen the light. Now, as I am a believer that we never stop
learning and growing, especially with regard to musical performance, and
that young Layla Zoe has already reached such a lofty plateau with so
much soul in her music, and so much music in her soul ... well, I want to
express how excited we all are. Thanks for that!

Yours truly

Originally from the 60s movement of the great horseshoe,

Dave Burt
aka David Colin Burt - email review

Layla Zoe Shades of Blue (Self)

Also part of the West Coast contingent visiting at the Summit, Ms. Zoe left behind a very impressive CD. It shows her to be a powerful singer and a very good songwriter with some very helpful friends. The opening "Someday", "Shaking", You Won't Call" and "Leave You For Good" have strong new lyrics on the state of relationships but "Disappearing Delta" is a stunning one-chord lament on the state of the blues in the south. As a vocalist she has the power of a Janis Joplin but usually stays away from the histrionics. Supplying music for many of her lyrics is the guitarist on the album, Chris Raines who shines throughout. Maple Blues Award nominee Bill Johnson duets with Layla on a gorgeous new soul blues, "You Surprise Me Again". "Flightplan" veers a little too close to blues-rock for my liking but overall this is an excellent effort from someone I hope we'll hear a lot more from. A portion of the proceeds from each sale will go to selected charities. You can get more details at www.layla.ca.
Written by John Valenteyn of the Toronto Blues Society, March/07 - Toronto Blues Society

Layla Zoe will be a featured vocalist at the Women’s Blues Revue December 1, 2007 at Massey Hall. The other guest vocalists include Shawne Jackson, Treasa Levasseur, Roxanne Potvin, Dawn Tyler Watson & Nikki Yanofsky. Photo by Antti Lumikari

Since her arrival on the Toronto blues scene in January of this year, Layla Zoe continues to leave an indelible impression on her audiences and fellow artists. Hers is a story of how faith, fortitude and a forum for expression culminate into fortune.

This year, the Toronto Blues Society’s acclaimed “Blues Summit” provided a forum for Layla as a contributing artist, by way of Brian Blain’s beautiful, inspirational and welcoming campfire song circle.

“Layla was the first person in the door at the Chelsea Hotel. Layla’s independent spirit and determination was readily apparent. She was ready to give it her best shot”, cited Brian.

The campfire song circle is where this redheaded, blues siren who hails from Vancouver Island, made a valuable and lasting connection with Toronto’s own voice of the blues, host of bluz.fm, Danny Marks.

“I had that 1950 ES5, the T-Bone guitar. It was tuned down to an open tuning and I was picking some Elizabeth Cotton. She said, ‘I love that song’. I thought, ‘I hope this girl can sing’. Turns out she can. Layla’s vote of confidence in my picking, as a complete stranger, led to us playing together a lot. I get a real lift out of it”, he beamed.

Layla captivated the Blues Summit delegates at the campfire circle, with an energetic and moving a cappella version of an original song, “Someday” from her debut CD, “Shades of Blue”. She received many accolades and an invitation, from Danny Marks, to guest with him at the landmark venue, Jeff Healey’s Roadhouse.

Her scheduled performance in June at the NXNE Conference had her back in Toronto with a return engagement to the Roadhouse and this time she was honoured to share the stage with Jeff Healey.

In the ensuing weeks, Layla performed around the city and was a featured artist with Brian Gladstone at The Rivoli, as part of Hearts Open Toronto (HOT) Sunday Showcase, a monthly charitable event created by Zuzana Hahn of Get Graphic Inc. Understanding the importance of this concept, Layla was thrilled to be part of this series as she generously opens her heart with portions of proceeds from, Shades of Blue going to charities that resonate with her values.

She made guest appearances with regarded artists such as, The Downchild Blues Band at a Berkeley Church event, Danny Marks and Trouble & Strife at the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival and Julian Fauth at The Distillery Blues. In September, she was part of the Fram Slokker Street Shuffle and sang at jams hosted by Johnny Max as part of Chuck Jackson’s prestigious Southside Shuffle.

This year Layla garnered the award of Vancouver Island’s Female Vocalist of the Year and winner of the Compo10 International Blues Songwriting Competition held in Järvenpää, Finland, where she will perform in 2008 at the Lakeside Blues Festival.

As Shades of Blue has showcased Layla’s talents as a diverse singer and songwriter that can rock the house with songs like “Someday” and “Flightplan”, then lull you with her lyrical laments in “You Won’t Call” and “Disappearing Delta”, it leaves you with more than shades of anticipation for her next CD.

Layla assures she has plans for just that as she has been working on a new record which she hopes to be released in mid-November, in time for her farewell party to be held in her west coast hometown.

On December 1st, Layla will be sharing the stage at the regal Massey Hall as part of the Women in Blues Revue, with vocalists Treasa Levaseur, Shawne Jackson, Roxanne Potvin, Dawn Tyler Watson and Nikki Yanofsky backed by the all-star Women’s Revue Band (Michelle Josef, Margaret Stowe, Lily Sazz, Brandi Disterheft, Carrie Chesnutt, Colleen Allen, Sarah McElcheran and bandleader Suzie Vinnick).

On this return, Layla Zoe, a woman of strong independent spirit and soulful sensitivity, intends to call “home” the city and society that welcomed her, almost one year ago, with arms wide open.

Sharon Grace
- Toronto Blues Society