LEEANN ATHERTON
Texas Singer-Songwriter
BMI
Lead Vocalist, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica
International Concert Touring
Recording Sessions
Leeann Atherton, one of the nicest and friendliest Texas southern belles you would ever want to meet, is now one of Austin's own singer/songwriter treasures.
This lady can sing the blues too!
Take a little South Carolina charm and add a big Texas heart; take a pinch of Janis Joplin's blues belting ability and free spirit; add a little Marcia Ball and Aretha Franklin for spice, plus an auxiliary of talented song writing friends.
Oh yes, don't forget to include a little Carolina beach music and you will have yourself a real sweet cookie of a singer ...
Leeann Atherton!
Austin Daze Reviews EVERY DAY DREAM
www.austindaze.com
Nothing less than the "Queen of South Austin" Leeann has been pumping life into the ONLY part of this city that's worthy of our reputation for quite some time. Her backyard "Barn Dances" are some of the best house parties anyone could throw anywhere. If someone tried that in north Austin. their neighborhood association would shut them down. Try it in Round Rock, and Williamson county's finest would slap them around, bloody their nose and leave them in the slammer. But in South Austin, no one complains because they're all there, having a great time. Life is good down here, ain't it?
This CD is just dripping with soul. Leeann has this wonderful kind of old time bluesy rock thing happening that echoes of Motown, Janice Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Marcia Ball and plenty of artists from the 60's and 70's that aren't around anymore. Her warm, full and slightly raspy voice is strong and consistent, and very versatile. As good as it is, the musicianship here is probably even better.
There's no hiding the blazing melodic lead guitar solos by Johnny Mac and Larry Wilson, the slide guitar work of Papa Mali, the rhythm guitars by Sunnyman and Jackson, Riley Osbourn's Hammond B3, bass by Courtney Audain and drums by Frosty. Several other talented guests round the recording out nicely. The musicianshipmakes for a big bog sound that way exceeds the budget for this independent release. That's what friends are for, and Leeann has plenty of talented friends.
Songwriting is also strong, with Leeann writing or co-writing most of the tracks. "What's Your Situation" is a jazz departure, which reminds me of the jazz-pop from the mid 90's. Extra points goes for track 5, a tribute to Austin's beloved Mambo John Traynor. (Anything that makes Mambo look down from above and smile gets a nod from me.)
Leeann Atherton
"Every Day Dream"
Score = 8
Austin Daze pg. 10 Issue ..61
"Gypzee Heart" reviews
Austin Chronicle Jan. 19, 2008
www.austinchronicle.com
Revered blues mama Leeann Atherton and former Red Elvises guitarist/vocalist Zhenya Rock have joined forces in Gypzee Soul, a meeting of his fleet-fingered ability on all things stringed and her soulful sensibilities. Clunky, lyrical moments on their debut are almost offset by the amount of love poured into their worldly acoustic grooves. Jim Caliguiri "For the Sake of the Song "
Rootstime Jan. 2008
Gypzees Heart is a spicy cd' tje, scarcely thirty minutes long, but fresh and sparkling as a stream in the spring. The songs flee playful as fish in a bed, where balalaika, bongos, banjar and a 12-snarige Martin guitar the instrumentale choreografie on self take. 'Live Musical Capital or The World' inclines to hoisted sung inclines does think to reggae, it 'Tim' to country jazz and the bluesy 'Lazy Sunday' of a Brazilian sunset. The samenzang in 'From The Heart' is romp a loves song. The most songs arose in assistant-authorship through the duo Zhenya Kolykhanov and Leeann Atherton, except of 'Romale' that based is on a traditional Russian zigeunersong. Zhenya Rock, as he is named also, comes by Russia and discovered as adolescent all the bluegrass via a periodical with bijhorende plate, what him direct bekoorde. Only firstly he played roll as anarchist gitarist in a Russian rock' n tie with Chuck Berry features. The tie adorned self with the applicable groups name 'Reason Elvises' and brought an achttal cd’s out. Later on Zhenya its own flat label founded and began to write he for film and Tv-shows. Active in the music scene, he cannot choose ostensibly also now between the group Zeegras, The Flying Balalaika Brothers, that Russian folkmuziek interpret or for a duo-career with Leeann. Singer and gitariste Leeann has been bitten already as much as by the muziekmicrobe. For 18 year travels they already singing and sometimes also dancing the world around from her biotope Austin in Texas. Her warm voice does think what of the Indigo Girls. Under her international musical friends may they as well Dad Mali as an Alejandro Escovedo figure. Also in these 'Gypzee Heart', geproducet through Zhenya, know to give the duo their original bluegrass a multiculturele radiation with vitamin run zigeunersongs. A plate in love with with the jaunty triangular contrabasbalalaika as match-maker to become. Marcie www.rootstime.be
