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"Poetic, great imagery." ... Rosanne Cash "You sound beautiful!!!" ...Suzzy Roche "Quite simply one of the best singer-songwriters I've ever heard." ...Doug Robinson "This album is a true songwriting
gold. Mature, insightful lyrics....flavorful, dramatic music....solid,
non-flashy vocals ... a collage of scene and cinder that hints
at the fire burning from within. "Land Of Souvenirs"
delves into physical, emotional, and spiritual elements that
many indie artists seldom see, or dare to reveal." - Independent
Songwriter Web Magazine "...there's just too much to quote from this album. Patti is a very good lyricist who not only has a lot to say, but has figured out a musical way of letting all the demons out in such a way that they don't give you the blues till next Tuesday. Quite a feat. " ...Muses Muse website |
Patti Witten's witty 1999 CD, Land
of Souvenirs, is a refreshing blend of pop-folk with jazz
influences. Her intelligent lyrics and wry looks at some of life's
ordinary experiences are laid so deceptively over beautiful melodies,
that you are drifting along and then, ZAP, what was said hits
you and strikes a chord. Speaking of chords, she uses some inventive
progressions that make her music stand out from the sea of independent
CDs currently flooding us. This one rises above, and with persistence
and the right doors opening, we should be hearing Patti on more
than college radio by this time next year.
...Valerie DeLaCruz, Calling All Angels radio show,
WRPI Troy 91.5fm
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Several of the songs from this CD have won competitions:
1999 Great American Song Contest (600 entries)
Grand Prize winner (all categories), "Change of Heart Church Choir"
3rd Place Rock/Pop/Adult Contemp., "Is That True"
Hon. Mention Contemp. Acoustic/Folk, "Opening Day"1999 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (700 entries)
3rd Place Modern Rock/Alternative, "Last Looks"
8th Place Adult Contemp./Soft Rock, "Blue Blanket"
Hon. Mention Adult Contemp./Soft Rock, "Touch And Go"1999 Woody Guthrie Folk Song Contest
Finalist, "Walk A Mile"
Land of Souvenirs is a collaboration between Patti and producer Rich DePaolo. DePaolo, an experienced and uniquely talented producer and musician, has created a masterfully sublime recording which meshes perfectly with Patti's lyrics, melodies and skilled acoustic guitar. Multi-talented DePaolo also played all of the electric guitar, bass and mandolin tracks himself, giving the recording an impressive strength and unity of vision.
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'Prairie Doll' is Patti Witten's extraordinary six song EP (released late 2000). It is identified in her press material as a "(mostly) live-in-the-studio" recording. The band must have a wonderful rapport with Witten because the songs are as organic and polished as any fully agonized-over production. Perhaps that rapport is helped by Witten's apparent egalitarian spirit - her name appears on the cover of this album only among the listing of the other members of Prairie Doll. Although this is an EP, there is a full album's worth of favorite tunes. Witten's voice tends to get casually sultry, happy to have an electric guitar, bass and drums to lean into with a catchy/sad lyric. In fact, she has that rare quality of being able to rock convincingly without pushing or raising the volume. She tours the Western New York State area with her band, Prairie Doll, playing in venues with a roots rock, Americana crowd. Those crowds are getting a little more than they might expect. Witten not only does a great job fronting the band, but her songs are lyrically sophisticated and made to be sung. - Michael Devlin, Music Matters Review |
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This 6-song EP features producer/guitarist Rich DePaolo, bassist Doug Robinson, and drummer Bill King. |
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