Some of the usual suspects....
Keith Tutt- Cello, keys
Cameron McLaughlin - bass
Wendy Crompton- keys
Kyle Alexander-beatss
Influences
Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, LeRoi Moore, Odetta, Roland Wiggins, Aqualung, highways, Damien Rice, rapid mood swings, sunsets, PASSIONATE PEOPLE, fools, sincerity, wisdom, youth, lost angeles, Rumi, Fiona Apple, coffee, minor chords, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Kahil Gibran, bus rides, James Taylor, dive bars, Ben Harper, Ben Taylor, Joan Baez, Langston Hughes, fall, desperation, desire, Bob Dylan, Ray Lamontagne, DMB, heart break, LOVE, late nights, the pacific ocean, dreams, colors, uncertainty......LIFE, rage and beauty. you. mmm mm mmmm
Within 72 hours of hitting iTunes, her independently released sophomore album Luminous burned through cyberspace, rocketing up to the 8 position on the iTunes pop album chart. In an industry where poppy hooks and major funding dominate the game, the chances of an unsigned artist with a wholly unique sound dueling it out with the likes of Pearl Jam and Whitney Houston are unlikely, to say the least.
...She flows through a range of evergreen coming-of-age themes such as hopes and dreams, wandering, searching, longing, and love, putting a universal yet unique voice to all of our hopes and fears. There is a timeless quality to both her sound and her message that digs straight down to the core of it all and, even in the album's most mournful moments, seems like a celebration of all life's potential Nikki Van Noy, Weekly Davespeak
....The result is a beautiful recording of 11 songs, all written by Farrell and sung with a voice that would make sparrows jealous. Her music has a jazz-folk feel. One listen and it's easy to tell Farrell is an incredibly gifted artist, one whose recordings are surpassed only by the live presentation. A full accompaniment of instruments adorn the record, from cello and flute to saxophone and clarinet. It is the ideal rainy day album, and while it doesn't rain all that much in southern California, Luminous will make you wish it did. Jared Kiemeney, NBC.com
Samantha Farrell’s voice resonates with the clean complexity of a hard truth, put simply: it is a declaration. Luminous flourishes behind Farrell’s scotch caramel timbre, aching with the decadence of hope and the elegance of nostalgia. Accented with lush strings and jazz piano, the spilled silk harmonies on the singer’s second release complement, but never overpower, allowing Farrell to braid her vocals with an almost playful nuance.
Luminous is the only album ever produced by the late Dave Matthews Band horn player, Leroi Moore. Moore may have heard hints of others in Farrell; the passion of Joni, the swoon of Norah, the strength of Etta, more likely however, he heard a dynamic young songwriter ready to bloom.
Luminous is that blooming, and pays ample tribute to the vision of Leroi Moore, and beauty itself.
Ben Evans, Executive Editor, "Fogged Clarity"
Before the tragic and untimely passing of LeRoi Moore (Dave Matthews Band's horn master), he made a musical discovery that was clearly very special. This gem was evident in the singer's passionate voice, which is smoother than burnished marble. LeRoi saw that "it" quality in Samantha Farrell and was determined to grow and mold her talent into something exceptional. The eventual product is titled Luminous. Completed after LeRoi's death, it was the last thing LeRoi put his golden touch upon/produced, and features a couple all-star horn players (John D'earth and Bobby Read) sitting in on a few tracks. The eleven-track sophomore album by Ms. Farrell is one which after you've listened to the whole thing you're left feeling like your throat should be sore from sitting in a smokey lounge listening to the next Blue Note starlet........
Ethan Zimman, Editor, Keep it on the B-side Music Blog
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A bio or a tall tale, or something of that nature...
Girl from the country moves to sprawling megalopolis to pursue crazy dream. Girl faces adversity, girl slaves away in tedium and obscurity by day, singing by night. Enter a twist of fate stage left; girl gets discovered by wizard-rockstar, who thinks her quirky sensibilites are spot-on, and invites girl to record album. Thus, the unlikely hero gets the call to adventure.
That girl would be me....that rockstar would be LeRoi Moore. This would be my life, pretty accurately if I say so myself, up until a year ago. On August 19, 2008, my dear friend, mentor and producer died unexpectedly and I was left picking up the pieces of something beautiful that we had started together. It was a long, hard year...fortunately, no limbs were lost, and no Cyclops and/or sea-monsters attacked (relatively speaking). Fast forward to right this very minute, and I’m about to finally release my album “Luminous” produced and executive produced by LeRoi Moore, engineered by Rob Evans, with guest horns by John D’earth and Bobby Read- featuring my bad ass band/sanity-keepers/partners in crime, Keith Van Tutt II, Cameron McLaughlin and Kyle Alexander.
************************************ Now, some slightly less vague information ******************************* Samantha is an '05 graduate of Bowdoin College. She has played in venues, some famous, others, not so much, in concert halls and dive bars across the country. She has played for crickets and for large crowds alike. She has opened for and shared stages with people you've heard of, as well as many other fantastic musicians you will hopefully one day know about. Her music has been featured during a few touching moments on television shows and independent movies (Shark, Privileged, OTH). Samantha is a virgo, does not like long walks on the beach, and prefers her current country reclusiveness to big city living, because she can walk around in her towel outside and no one will call the police. She is currently booking a tour to support her second album "Luminous," which was produced by the brilliant and sorely missed LeRoi Moore. For more info, booking and/or nonsense, please contact samanthafar@gmail.com
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Heard the word? A few reviews for Spiritus...
.... It’s her voice which draws you in, a soulful mix of Van Morrison’s country hospitality, Ella Fitzgerald’s jazzy range and Fiona Apple’s modern honesty. As best ..ed on her new CD, Spiritus, the curly-haired, bespectacled singer is a truly modern folkie, weaving tails through her stories, but connecting with listeners through her voice. .... Farrell manages to tie Spiritus’ eclectic mix of sounds together by wearing her emotions, and more importantly, her soul on her sleeve.
-Mike Greenhaus, Staff Editor, Relix Magazine.
"The whole CD is great from start to finish. Creative vocals, expressive lyrics, and catchy melodies make it almost difficult to believe that this 11-song album was recorded and mixed in only four days of studio time. "
Writer L. Anne Carrington, Indie Music Stop
"samantha is awesome."
-my brother
To buy a HARD COPY of Spiritus, you can only get it on CdBaby.Com- Click the link to buy the album!!
"Spiritus" is available on Itunes! For instant gratification, click on the link below, or just search me in the store. ..
Hi Sammy!! Your myspace looks great! You might remember me from Bowdoin when you came and talked to a couple of us about music careers and such. It was so great to meet you. Just wanted to let you know that I've updated my myspace and I would love your opinion sometime if you get a moment :) Thank you again for all your wonderful advice, it was so refreshing to speak honestly with someone about a music career, especially someone who is involved in music and who is so nice and down to earth! Keep in touch!
A TRIBUTE TO METALLICA – OUT NOW ON ITUNES, AMAZON, NAPSTER … !!!
"(…)you will get a reggae(!) style version of Blackened, a Latin dance mix of The Unforgiven with brass and stuff, a piano swing tune of King Nothing, as well as more beautiful acoustic versions like the contest winner track (Motorbreath). Besides, the singer is excellent." (metalblog.eu)
You definitely have a new fan in me Samantha Farrell. Angelic swinging sound, guts & spirit. And then you swing into the word vagabond. YES! Beautiful. Can't wait to see your show tonight.
My early comment was incorrect you are #9 on the US iTunes Pop charts!!! Woooooo HOOOO!!! Norris is making fun of how excited I am for you! I keep checking the charts. I love you sooooo much! xoxo
Check out my new demos---I'm Coming Home and Give Me Shelter
If you like what you hear, I'm going into a studio in December to make a full album and I want you to hear it. SO, if you want to get a copy, message me your email or mailing address.
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