Crash Course in Roses

1	Gave Me Love 3:15
2	World Don't Owe Me 3:57
3	100 Miles 5:03
4	Fall Away 3:13
5	Wise to the Ways 4:45
6	What's the Matter 3:18
7	I'll Cover You 4:37
8	Burn Your Own House Down 4:37
9	Roses 4:51
10	Look at You Now 4:08
11	Stay up All Night 4:08
12	Magnolia Street 4:03
13	Start Again 2:44

Barnes & Noble

Both the crash of the drumbeat and the delicacy of the rose find their way into Catie Curtis's latest project. Boston-based Curtis shares fans with Ani DiFranco, Toshi Reagon, and other "urban folk" women, but she's a master of passionate restraint, both lyrically and musically. In tales of loves lost and found ("I'll Cover You"), of celebration laced with knowledge and humor ("What's the Matter"), of hard lessons learned and questions asked ("Look at You Now," "Roses"), Curtis supports her soaring voice and heartfelt lyrics with driving yet subtle percussive patterns. On "Magnolia Street" and "Gave You Love," a country rock approach fuels the tracks. A heartbeat percussion line both follows and leads the questioning lover in "100 Miles." Curtis found her way into music through drums, and A CRASH COURSE IN ROSES finds that power girding the emotional tales told in her words and voice. Kerry Dexter

All Music Guide

When folk-rockers fail, it's usually by trying to fudge the line between folk and rock: the music either fails to adequately support the lyrics or it overpowers them. Catie Curtis has found the perfect balance on her third album. She and producer Ben Wisch have created a sound that is warm, intimate, and robust, dense without being murky and crisp without being brittle. Curtis' songs sound timeless; the rolling tunefulness of "Gave Me Love" and the wistful chorus of "Fall Away" both reach out and caress you, while the Trinidadian bassline of "Stay Up All Night" pulls nicely against the mandolin and harmonica. Her singing is a little bit self-conscious; she tends to declaim the notes instead of committing to them. But her voice is sweet and gruff, and the songs are good enough that she gets away with her slightly mannered delivery. Special highlight: the drum sound and the Hammond organ part on "Gave Me Love." Rick Anderson