Project Title: "Long Night Moon"
Artist: Catie Curtis
Released: 2006
Produced by: Lorne Entress
Record Label: Compass Records
Featuring: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kris Delmhorst, Mark Erelli, Erin McKeown and Chris Trapper
Song List/Credits
All songs, words and music by Catie Curtis except Passing Through and People Look Around by Catie Curtis and Mark Erelli
Find you Now
Strange
Water and Stone (w/Mary Chapin Carpenter)
It's a Wonder
Rope Swings and Avalanches
People Look Around
Innocent
Passing Through
Hey California
New Flowers
Hard Time with Goodbyes
Long Night Moon
Music Commentary
With an irresistible allure and mature assuredness, Catie Curtis delivers her latest project, "Long Night Moon." After 15 years on the road and 10 projects under her belt, Catie continues to charm fans with fresh new themes dripping with positively charged emotions. The entire CD is uplifting as it comes from a happy person who not only knows who she is but also knows where she is at this point in her life.
Lyrically intelligent, the cuts on "Long Night Moon", say something meaningful with themes of love, commitment, and family, all set in social consciousness and a with a challenge to at least be fearlessly true to ourselves and those around us. Yet, the message delivery is far from preachy. As you listen to the CD, you can hear the magic of Catie's engaging lyrics envelop you because the project is so well engineered that the instruments cleverly support the lyrics with melody without crushing the beauty of Catie's vocal delivery.
Catie now has "two reasons more" to weave into her musical world with the international adoption of two girls now ages 2 and 4. Passing Through, New Flowers and Long Night Moon all speak to the impact of parenting on Catie's perspective of life. Words like: "What does my sun shine for, I got two reasons more" although simplistic, pack a powerful impact considering the changes children make in ones life. "We are passing this world on to our kids" is further evidence of Catie's consciousness of the precious gift entrusted to her care. The title song, Long Night Moon, has significant meaning to Catie as she anticipated the arrival of her youngest child during the December full moon when she penned these words. But each of these songs also has a clear social message as well.
Catie collaborates with Mark Erelli on People Look Around and Passing Through. She credits Mark with having a keen philosophical awareness and the ability to create powerful imagery with his words, a skill which Catie, herself, has clearly perfected. People Look Around speaks of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Not just of the devastation, but more importantly, the government's failure to respond to its people's cry for help in Katrina's wake. This is probably the most blatant socially conscious song on the project.
"So I'll sing of love and truth and try to practice what I preach, If I can't change the world, I'll change the world within my reach." brings truth and power to Passing Through. It’s a message that says: It starts with me to bring change to the world. Dar Williams delivers the same powerful message in her piece Echoes.
Mary Chapin Carpenter joins Catie in harmony vocals with a wonderful blend on Water and Stone.There is also an irreverent and whimsical side to Catie that shines through on Hey California where she thumbs her nose at the California sun in favor of New England's cold wintry life. The harsh realities of relationships with finding love and letting it go are strong themes that shine through on It's a Wonder, Hard Time with Goodbyes and Rope Swings and Avalanches.
"Long Night Moon" is a masterful project with thought provoking imagery woven delicately across twelve selections. Catie brings her brand of acoustic folk out with a subtle power. With the project, Catie had complete control over its production under Lorne Entress' experienced hand. With complete artistic control and studio availability, Catie was able to fine tune each piece to perfection and it shows in the final results. The master work is licensed for distribution through Compass Records.
There is nothing on this project that I didn't like. It left me with a sense of peace and an impression of good feelings even under the weight of some heavy emotions. If you like a softer touch with compelling messages and imagery, "Long Night Moon" is a project you want to pick up and listen to repeatedly. You can find the lyrics to the collection on Catie's web site.
You can find a larger selection of Catie's work to choose from here:
Catie Curtis
