Music
Press
Exploring everything from childhood to Sep 11, the trio delivers songs in what is not only a well-timed display of musical cohesion but also a full-throttle emotional ride. - The Washington Post
....a masterful amalgam of folk, rock, jazz, blues and an occasional tincture of funk, discovering her music is like finding a treasure. - The Boston Globe
Her lyrics are not tough stances on a woman's experience -- although she speaks forthrightly of the conflicting roles of women -- but rather sensitive explorations of childhood and the poetry of life. - The New York Times
The last person I introduced to the music of Sloan Wainwright -- one of those where-have-you-been-all-my-life? singers -- was a college radio programmer. "Our station's gonna love her music!" she said. "Especially that song about eating people." "You Are The Feast," from the artist's most recent album, wraps her sumptuous contralto around the sexiest prandial imagery since Tampopo. "I will set a very fine table. Everyone will come, to fill up, to savor you. You are the feast." Passionate, sly, maternal, and poignant -- often at the same time -- Wainwright's music is kinda like Joni, Odetta and Yeats nakedly stomping grapes to paint wine-soaked canvases in a SoHo loft -- only prettier and more straightforward than that metaphor. Eat it up. - Washington City Paper
OK, let's get this out of the way first. She's a Wainwright, of the Wainwright Wainwrights. Of the Rufus and Loudon sort. She is, however, talented enough to thrive even if her last name were, say, Whifflepickle. Folk-influenced, obviously (you can't grow up a Wainwright and not be), but the real star here is her voice, warm and smoky and smooth. It's an honest voice that makes her earthy, ominous lyrics seem all the more intense, yet she never succumbs to wailing or calling attention to herself. If only more folkies would follow her lead. - Creative Loafing
"For the Canadian folkie sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Christmas could never be simply "the holidays." On Wednesday night at Carnegie Hall, they alluded to the sacred nature of their musical inquiry.....The onstage crowd of roughly a score included an elder McGarrigle sister, Jane; Kate's children, Rufus and Martha Wainwright; Anna's husband, Dane Lanken, and daughter Lily; and good friends Emmylou Harris and Sloan Wainwright, whom Kate introduced as her "ex-sister-in-law.....But Sloan Wainwright garnered the most applause with the folk-gospel "Thank God, It's Christmas." (The New York Times, Dec 23, 2005) - The New York Times
Discography
Life Grows Back
On A Night Before Christmas (Live)
Cool Morning
The Song Inside
From Where You Are
Sloan Wainwright (self-titled)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Sloan Wainwright has been a pioneer all her life.
A forerunner in the independent music scene long before it became hip to walk the road less travelled, Sloan is an artist whose passionate work and extraordinary life have fused to burn a new definition for women in music. Grown-up girl style.
An outstanding and highly original singer, Sloan is a compelling performer best known for her rich contralto voice, intensely personal lyrics, and an innovative approach to song.
Hard to categorize, her musical style melds the best of pop, folk, jazz, and blues to create a soulful hybrid.
Her personal appearances are forceful and uplifting, her stage persona self-described as "we take our audience on a journey, we come in full tilt and do our show."
"Exploring everything from childhood to September 11th, the trio delivers songs in what is not only a well-timed display of musical cohesion but also a full-throttle emotional ride." (The Washington Post)
Born into a highly acclaimed musical family (youngest sister to Loudon Wainwright, auntie to Rufus Wainwright and to Martha Wainwright) Sloan's teenage years were largely influenced by a constant flow of diverse artists, writers and musicians. She learned to play the piano and watched her brother Loudon, 11 years older--and the father of Rufus and Martha-- become successful. Writing and performing, throughout the Greenwich Village hipster scene, Sloan developed her own unique style.
In the mid 90's Sloan began to collaborate with guitarist Stephen Murphy. From their instant creative synergy, a band was put together and within no time, Sloan released a self-titled debut CD in 1996 -- 'Sloan Wainwright'. The CD was a critical success and introduced the music to a national audience.
The Sloan Wainwright Band followed with a second release in 1998. A tribute in memory of her mother Martha, entitled 'From Where You Are'.
The third band release -- in early 2001 -- 'The Song Inside' is a pivotal work in its merging of traditionally based folk music and more eccentric, creatively evolved variations - sometimes suggesting a stylistic crossroad of Bonnie Raitt and Kate Bush.
The current CD release, entitled Cool Morning, sees Sloan take on a myriad of musical challenges. Songs like "Word of The Day" showcase her unique singing voice and vocal styling. One of the most memorable cuts on the CD is her rendition of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name." Her performance of this classic not only radiates the greatness of the song, but also gives the listener the clear vision of Sloan as a modern day interpreter of lyrics and music.
For Cool Morning, Sloan teamed up once again with her band mates Stephen Murphy (guitar) and Cary Brown (piano) with production and drum credits going to well-known New York City session musician Joe Bonadio (Martin Sexton, Avril Lavigne, Shawn Colvin). Bonadio, best known as a diverse and musical drummer, stepped into the producers chair to allow Sloan more room to concentrate on delivering her brand of compelling vocal stylings.
Other musicians showcased on Cool Morning come from a hand-picked ensemble of artists with resumes as impressive as Sloan's musical family tree:
v David Sancious (Bruce Springsteen, Sting) on piano
v Jeff Allen (Avril Lavigne, Duncan Sheik) on bass
v John Patitucci (Chick Corea, Stan Getz) on jazz bass
v Harvey Jones (Ellis Paul, Robbie Dupree) on keyboards
v Marc Shulman (Celine Dion, Patty Larkin) on additional guitar
The result of all this artistic synergy, musical talent and personality is Cool Morning, a triumph for Sloan Wainwright.
"Her melodies are the aural equivalent of smoky, tantalizing aromas emanating from a soul kitchen" (Dirty Linen)
"...a masterful amalgam of folk, rock, jazz, blues and an occasional tincture of funk, discovering her music is like finding a treasure... "
(The Boston Globe)
"Her lyrics are not tough stances on a woman's experience, but rather sensitive explorations of childhood and the poetry of life."
(The New York Times)
"Her songs, like her voice"cast a lasting spell, at times drawing the listener into a world of unquestionably heartfelt emotion."
(The Washington Post)
December 2005 saw the release of the first-ever live in concert CD for Sloan and bandmates entitled Sloan Wainwright and Friends ???On A Night Before Christmas'. This Holiday Celebration CD features The Sloan Wainwright band live in concert along with guest performances by The Kennedys, Cadence Carroll, Penny Nichols and Gandalf Murphy and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams. 'On A Night Before Christmas' was recorded Live at Northern Westchester Center for the Arts in Mt. Kisco, NY on December 18th, 2004 and serves to capture the fearless energy and sensational musical performance.
"For the Canadian folkie sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Christmas could never be simply "the holidays." On Wednesday night at Carnegie Hall, they alluded to the
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