Music
Press
"Schrader sang in a strong voice that resembles Fiona Apple's. [Think of England] had a rollicking sound that fused swamp boogie with Tin Pan Alley."
- Isaac Guzman, New York Daily News - New York Daily News
"Compelling…no shortage of range or inflection… this award-winning performer shows an extraordinary voice and material that's crafted to suit it." - Music Connection
It's raining on a cozy night. You're tucked in with a lot of volatile memories and in need of heartfelt emotional cleansing. The CD player calls you for a challenge. You stare at Norah Jones, but you want something with more attitude; you notice Dido, but you want something more piano-driven and zestful. Then you stumble upon Libbie Schrader's Letters to Boys. The rain gets louder and the thunder starts to creep in through the drafts. Perfect.
After listening to it, you realize that in this album Libbie is expressing all the pains of unrequited love with unmitigated songwriting, and you can't stop listening to these revelations that bare her soul. Accompanied by enchanting piano-playing and emotive build-ups, it's a mixture of provoked frustration, playful desire, and thwarted recognition. Her whimsical songwriting entraps you with interest at the same time that it ignites a feeling of I-know-exactly-what-she-is-talking-about. The tracks range between mid-tempo piano-pop and cadences that can't go wrong with her soothing, yet curiously vigorous voice. In songs like War on Science and It Breaks Today you get the chance to release with intensity and vehement reason. For contrast you get tracks like Come When I Call and So Close, melodious songs that showcase a beautiful vulnerability that almost obliges her to sing in susurration. This vacillation between emotions doesn't make the album confusing, it covers aspects that complete us as receptive beings, and Libbie has the gift to make it so amazingly palpable. The tracklisting is over but a surprising live track arises in the end in which she finally reassures herself and the man she wants that he will eventually be hers. No better way to end an album full of songs about misfortunes than a track of hope, security and the end of brooking with the fickle men that hover between being-in-love and not-so-much-anymore.
Now the raindrops have turned into a choir, singing about all those times you thought you'd never find the man of your dreams, and the thunder encourages you to keep fighting. The world has much to thank Libbie Schrader for this exceptional new album that surely marks the start of a promising future. - SoundAffects.net
"Schrader possessed the uncanny ability to transform her voice into an instrument that effortlessly hit any note at will, and the piano became a rock instrument in her capable hands....her set was diverse in subject matter and even more so in style, ranging from jazz, to pop, to alternative, to something in between." - Billboard.com
Discography
Think of England (2002) -- sold on "This Way" tour with Jewel
Letters to Boys (2004) -- nationwide college radio promotion through Howard Rosen, KCRW airplay in LA
Taking the Fall (2005) -- KCRW airplay in LA, "Sweet When You Wanna Be" featured on the Gilmore Girls
Libbie Schrader (will be released in late 2007)
Photos
Bio
Oregon-raised and Los-Angeles based, Libbie Schrader is a songwriter with a passionate alt-pop/rock style. Libbie first made headlines when she and her band Think of England won the Pantene Pro-Voice "New Voice of 2001" Competition in New York's Central Park. Schrader and her band beat out over 1,200 other female-fronted acts for the award. Prizes included a nationwide tour with Poe and a demo deal with Atlantic Records. In the summer of 2002, Schrader's band also took part in Jewel's "Soul City Cafe" program for independent artists, and as a result she opened three shows on Jewel's "This Way" tour. Libbie was named as one of Music Connection's "Hot 100 Unsigned Artists" for both 2005 and 2006, and she was given a coveted MySpace feature in 2006. Libbie also appeared on the 2006 Gilmore Girls season finale performing her song "Sweet When You Wanna Be," and her song "Wish You Were the Woman" was a semi-finalist in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition.
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