Female singer-songwriters don’t seem to get quite the same attention that the fellas do around town. When I head out for an acoustic set or open mic night, I find the boys tend to hold the stage but Arizona has some fabulous females hashing it out with a voice and a guitar. Courtney Marie Andrews’ recent release got me thinking about some of the talented songbirds to grace Valley stages (although Andrews herself recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest she still heads to home turf to celebrate her album release). Here are some of the gifted lady tigers that have recently crossed my electronic path…
Light and airy pop doesn’t have to be trite as Ashley Creighton goes on to demonstrate on her four track EP. Contained within are four tracks toward a better day: upbeat, empowering, yet contemplative. Make sure you head out this coming Saturday (Cinco de Mayo) to catch Ashley opening for Spirit Cave at Last Exit Live (more details here). In the meantime, spend some time with her recordings here.
Pianist and songwriter, April Anne released the provocative single “Piano Strings” just a couple weeks ago and marked the occasion with a show at Lawn Gnome Publishing. The location seemed particularly apropos given April Anne poetry-fueled lyrics a la Jewel. If the single isn’t enough to fulfill your April Anne listening needs, check out her Reverbnation page for additional tracks.
In 2012, Amber Hunter released a very personal collection of songs on the album Freedom Steps. Approaching songwriting from the angle of personal journaling rather than from the safe distance of abstraction, Amber Hunter really puts herself into her music. Distinctly spiritual undertones are woven through the album while Amber’s agile voice nimbly spills out honest lyrics in pure pop. Listen to Freedom Steps here.
