About Me
Denver's Best Singer/Songwriter, Westword Music Awards, 2007
Best Singer/Songwriter. Westword's Best of Denver 2006
Emerging Artist of the Year for 2005. Hapi Skratch Entertainment
Why I created this page:
In the spring of 2005, someone gave me Angie's CD I'm Okay and I fell in love with it immediately. It was different. It reminded me of songs from the 1950s and 1960s: a mix of early rock, classic country, bluegrass, and even some stripped down indie rock.
A couple of weeks after hearing the CD, I saw her and her drummer and bass player at a little club in Denver. Her performance was intense and emotional -- like having someone with Patty Griffin's lyrical sensibility driving a freight train through my chest.
On the spot it became my mission to encourage people to check her out. But knowing that bands get hyped all the time and you might not take my word for it, I thought I would share what a number of people have said.
Photo from the What's Doing Tonight site.
"Go on: Just try to find a single soul who's seen Angie Stevens live and not been completely entranced. Backed by a stellar cast of musicians, Stevens engages audiences in a way that makes every performance feel intimate, like she's playing her songs just for you. The amiable chanteuse has shared the bill with a wide array of performers and had every audience riveted by the end of each set. Hell, she's so compelling, we're pretty sure that her earnest acoustic-based rock could win over a Cephalic Carnage crowd. Bolstered by songs that are often chillingly poignant ("Judy," for example, a song about her mother), Stevens makes the icicles form on your spine the minute she takes the stage." Westword, Best Singer/Songwriter of Denver 2006
"With a songwriting acumen that is stunning for a 25-year-old and a gorgeous, warm voice that seemingly can do anything, Stevens is an artist who earns fans on the first listen or show.... [She] is one of the best voices and songwriters I've heard in a long time, local or otherwise. She is a superb talent." Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News
"Angie Stevens is a master of both recording and stage and will engage you personally like only a handful of artists can do. ... I'm Okay is a do-it-yourself masterpiece: a star that shines this brightly won't be a secret long." Russ Christiansen, Xposur magazine.
"Singer/songwriter Angie Stevens puts it as eloquently as any young mother and wife would: 'I'm just trying to find good enough.' Stevens' album, Stand Up Girl, showcases her vulnerable voice reminiscent of music from the '50s and '60s: a gentle combination of roll, (not rock), and traditional country. ... Stand Up Girl can't help but be the much-needed soundtrack for those of us who are finding the bubblegum, over-produced pop tunes of MTV's 'Total Request Live' unfit for dealing with real life problems." Page Bayless, Marquee Magazine
"The best female singer/songwriter to ever come out of Denver." Jay Ruybal, Marketing Program Manager, Red Rocks Amphitheater
"I'm Okay is a colossal CD. ... Country, blues, rootsrock, bluegrass, and honky-tonk, Angie Stevens combines them into a lovely whole. She writes beautiful intimate songs which have a strong autobiographical character. ... Remember that name: Angie Stevens." ROOTSTIME, Belgium
"Your album is like 'whoa'! Sounds great on the radio!" Michael McCartney, KEAO / KONI / KPMW / KTOH, Hawaii
"She sure sounds like a future star based on a listen to her two recent ....Stand Up Girl'' EPs: She can sing, she can write, and she can even rock. Jewel would kill to be this good." Shay Quillen, San Jose Mercury News
"One of the most beautiful pop songs of last year was 'Breathe' by Anna Nalick. 'Words' has the same beauty, with more folk and a bit of twang. ... 'Stand Up Girl,' the piano-driven title song (about holding your head up high in the face of a challenge) could become an anthem. ... The thirteen songs of 'Stand Up 1' and 'Stand Up 2' work wonderfully together as a fully integrated package. Totally sincere. And with the gift and feeling for an arresting melody." Patrick Donners, Hanx.net, Netherlands
"Stevens starts 'Words' by creating a world with her gorgeous voice ... Live staple 'Favorite Rerun' shakes the roadhouse and 'Baby Toes' is a rockabye that would make Shawn Mullins envious." John Hansen, Brainerd Dispatch
"With today’s overabundance of countrified singer/songwriters, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Anyone can pick up an acoustic guitar, strum some earthy lullabies at a coffee shop and fade into the aromatic ambiance of the night. To avoid this, one must stand out. And standing out takes something more — something along the lines of talent. Luckily for Colorado’s Angie Stevens, she’s got it. ... the two [Stand Up Girl] discs offer up 13 alluring tracks that effectively blur the line between pop and country. 'Words,' a sweeping, radio-ready opus, opens disc one, and Stevens doesn’t let go of her hold on listeners until disc two draws to a close. Other highlights include the R.E.M.-worthy 'Picture (Passion and Pain),' 'Baby Toes,' with its drooping, Pearl Jam-esque bass lines, and the seductive, whiskey-soaked 'Sleep Never Comes.'" Matthew R. Perrine, Duluth Budgeteer
"Angie...well, she's the best singer-songwriter in Denver, kids...everyone knows she's a fuckin' star...get soma what she's got!" Mark Sundermeier, The Soiled Dove, Denver
"Angie's style and unique vibe are a refreshing break from the same old thing... loved it!" Scott Thomas, CEO, Zeo Radio Networks, Denver
"One of the most talented chicks in the world." Jess Taylor, Eclectic Cafe, Brainerd, MN
"She's a got a bubblegum rock voice, but she ain't singin' bubblegum, she's amazing." Steve Thorpe, Panache magazine
"Angie's voice knocks audiences over like a sledge-hammer!" Matt Fecher, Executive Director, South Park Music Festival
"[Angie's concert at Red Rocks] was one of the most emotionally moving events I've been witness to in a very long time." Chris K, KRFC
"We were just blown away by her talent. She shows such passion for music and ... well.. I just don't know what to say. I would drag every friend I know to her future shows. It was truly a spiritual performance. [She] really changed my life tonight. I'm so inspired I can't sleep." Eric Fletcher, Publisher, Colorado Music Buzz Magazine
"When she performs, she rocks out. She doesn't just sit there, strum her guitar and stare - she rocks!" Lucas Johnson, St. Cloud Times
"[Stand Up Girl] would fit perfectly on any current radio play-list ... the tight performances and production here should please discerning country-pop fans." John Wenzel, Denver Post
"The toast of Denver has a bittersweet country-folk voice and a way with words." Jon Bream, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"And though Stevens' sweet voice is as strong and clear as that of a Nashville diva, she's fighting the good fight, hewing closer to country's humble folk roots than its gussied-up modern spawn. ... [I'm Okay] sits comfortably alongside the work of a number of recent young traditionalists, such as Mindy Smith and Kasey Chambers. ... such an accomplished debut ..." Jenny Shank, New West Network
"Angie is one of the most eloquent artists [I have] ever worked with. [I] was blown away by her writing and singing when John McVey brought [me] in to Coupe Studios in Boulder, CO to play on 4 songs for her new record." Taylor Mesple, musician/composer/producer
"You are the best songwriter I have heard in a long time. Your voice is incredible ... You have that special something that a lot of people don't have. It's rare to see so many people hang on every word you sing." Jim Dalton, The Railbenders
"I've been around a lot of singers so I'm really tuned in to voices. [When I first heard her] my jaw dropped ... She has such a unique quality in her voice." Jake Schroeder, KQMT, Denver
"Angelic, soulful, powerful and poised." Robert Eldridge, guitarist/composer (NPR/PBS)
"From arresting lyrics to a stunning stage presence, Angie Stevens' prowess as a songwriter and performer well exceeds her peers." Kelly Magelky, Filament Productions
"The most outstanding thing about her music is the stunning beauty of Angie's voice. She sings like no one else!" Bill Douglass, Royal Recording
"This Denver-based singer-songwriter's ballads are layered, carrying both the toe-tapping satisfaction and quiet melancholy with which life often socks us. ... Keep your ears open for some exceptionally tasty bass work and for Stevens' seasoned voice, which subtly captures the feeling that things are neither right nor wrong, but a wonderful mix of both." Jake Schroeder, 5280 Magazine
"... this is a really special statement of countrified western rock. A stirring testament to the notion that imperfection can be quite refreshing and brilliantly perfect." Chris K., Hapiskratch.net
"Angie is a wonderful singer. Her new CD, I'm Okay, places her clear, confident voice squarely up front, which is a delight. ... Her 'folk-ish' background as a coffeehouse singer is apparent, but .. another dimension of her voice ... intrigues you with hints of Janis Joplin or maybe even a young Grace Slick." Ed Skibbe, Enfuse magazine
"(1) She accomplishes in three minutes what I spend entire novels doing, she does it better, and groups of tattooed women go-go dance on bartops when she does. Tell me that isn't special. (2) Angie captures and conveys the intense loneliness what wallows within the heart of a deep thinker living in this thoughtless world. She's a rare breed of person with acute perceptions and no ability whatsoever to lie about what she sees, no matter how much better that might make a person feel and I, for one, wish I knew more people just like her. (3) The golden voice, the vessel by which it is all delivered, is as unique and beautiful as it is unrivalled." Rob Callahan, writer and former KVSC (St. Cloud MN) radio guy
"The music draws from a variety of influences: one can hear blues, jazz, folk and some country in her songs but it is above all her voice, full of soul and passion that will send you clamoring for her CDs. ... see for yourself why people are tripping over themselves to see this powerful young woman perform." Swallow Hill, Denver.
"Angie Stevens has that rare quality. Compelling, passionate, sincere and unique all apply, but don't sum it up. In a sea of artists working to be heard, she just naturally shines. As a booking agent, a fellow musician, and music lover, I highly recommend her." Ron Gordon, Walnut Room, Denver
"Angie's music is unique in its range and contrast. It is calming and familiar; at the same time it is intense and vulnerable. It will draw you in and hold you captive -- desperate for more!" Jonah Hart, President, Noise Floor Entertainment
"She's a young, attractive new music talent on the scene. ... She plays an original lively combo of rock, folk, and blues belted out with fresh professionalism and plenty of talent." Jan McNutt, What's Doing in Denver
"...a stream of sound that is distinctly her own." Ben Quirk, Vail Daily News
"This little lady has a set of pipes!" Theo Ezell, Theo's Thang
