Corinne West

Location:
San Francisco, Ca
Type:
Artist / Band / Musician
Genre:
Acoustic / Country / Folk
Site(s):
Label:
Make Records
Fourth generation Californian Corinne West has been described as "the Siren of the Sierras" by a columnist from the San Francisco area Times-Herald, and for good reason. Over the past 9 years of writing, recording and touring, she has used her powerful and eloquent voice, coupled with her beautifully crafted songs to fashion a unique identity within the global acoustic roots music scene. Noted by Relix Magazine for her "voice of gold", her singing is at once like honey, smoke and sunrise. Early on, she caught the attention of Bob Harris of BBC radio who stated "I love Corinne's music and truly believe in her a an artist. She has spirit, integrity and talent. I am a massive fan." Hers is the voice of an artist that you want to hear closely. There's undeniable sincerity in it. It's not a voice that's going to lie to you or try to sell you something. Corinne has something special to share, cultivated from the heart and vision of a passionate spirit, resulting in music you can return to again and again.
Corinne's sound is informed by the nomadic and varied roads she has traveled. At 15 she left home with guitar in hand to travel across America in a converted school bus; she sang in hard rock bands in Los Angeles when she was 20, studied theatre in her mid-twenties, restored antique bi-plane wings, worked as a stone mason in the rural mountains of California, hand-cut and seasoned her own tipi poles, and opened a fine art business in fused-glass and metal with a blacksmith in the High Sierra mountains, to name a few. Ten years ago she decided that music was the only art form she couldn't walk away from, and so she turned completely to it.
The Liverpool Echo categorized Corinne's sound as "elegant new sexy acoustic jazz-rock-folk", while others have called it "west-coast acoustic soul, elegant, laced with grace". Listen closely and there are traces of Appalachia and Ireland, the Opry and the Apollo. Amidst the echoes of rural towns, and paths less followed, her writing reveals her passion to paint with lyric a landscape of the soul. By any name, her music is absolutely compelling both in the strength of her writing and the expressive power of her voice. The fore-mentioned, coupled with her magnetic stage presence create a captivating sound and performance garnering rave reviews the world over.
Corinne has released 4 albums, the latest with Kelly Joe Phelps, with whom she collaborated and toured with during 2010 and 2011. 2009 saw the release of her co-produced record, "The Promise", which she recorded in a cabin on a rural lake in British Columbia. In 2007 Corinne delivered "Second Sight", a bluegrass-fashioned record, working with Mike Marshall as producer, featuring Jerry Douglas, and a cast of the Americana greats. 2004 marked her entry into the recording world, with her self-produced debut, "Bound For The Living", featuring guest artists from the Waybacks, and Nina Gerber. She has a thick touring history including many of the most prestigious festivals and clubs in the US and abroad. In 2011 alone, she performed in 12 countries.
The fundamental layer of Corinne and Kelly Joe's new partnership is mutual admiration and respect both for the ideal of honest, inspired, poignant art, and each other's own creativity and musical vision. They also share an undeniably ravenous passion for the acoustic guitar. From this foundation these two are creating beautiful, exceptional music. Intricate, dense and lush harmony vocals wrap themselves around layers of interlacing, weaving guitar parts. Alongside this rise lyrics rich in imagery and testament, held aloft by melodies soaring in tandem with two voices seemingly born to sing together. This new duo will delight and amaze fans already familiar with the work of either artist, and those discovering Corinne and Kelly Joe for the first time will marvel.



The song is something of a metaphysical autobiography by a woman who knows The Road ~ the one that leads right out of town and into a landscape of the spirit. In it there's an good steed named Fatal, a pink and white Cadillac. where the story goes from there is best heard for yourself.



Lady Luck has been good to Corinne. As a child she was taken to music clubs by her grandfather, who taught her to dance. They'd hit honky-tonks where live bands played real country for dancers of all ages, and the two of them would two-step across the floor under colored lights.



At age 15, Corinne grabbed her guitar and left home to live in a converted old yellow school-bus occupied by nomadic artists and activists. Nothing in particular was wrong at home but she felt things might be really right somewhere else. Corinne was on and off that bus for a few years, ending up back in California in a remote mountain town, making her home in a cabin that had been built by her great grandfather. She has been carrying her guitar ever since.



Depending on the listener, Corinne's music might get called "roots," "Americana", or even "progressive folk". There are echoes of rural towns, honky-tonks, roads traveled, and roads less traveled. Listen more closely and there are traces of Appalachia and Ireland, the Opry and the Apollo, and somehow the pure elements of a starry night.



So, Corinne's music doesn't really fit in any genre box. It's elegant new sexy acoustic jazz-rock-folk. It's west coast acoustic-soul music. By any name, her music is absolutely compelling both in the strength of her writing and the expressive power of her voice.



Corinne co-produced her new CD, "The Promise" with Canadian music talent Doug Cox, who also played Dobro, Weissenborn and guitar on the record. To record they headed about an hour up the valley from Vancouver to a place called Harrison Hot Springs. Harrison holds a handful of houses, a campground, a few stores and a couple of hotels at one end of a 47 mile big blue lake, surrounded by majestic mountains. Daniel Lapp (fiddle, trumpet), John Reischman (mandolin), Rene Worst (bass) and more drove to Harrison for the project and in a few days, they made a beautiful record… one where you can hear the strings on the guitars, the metal resonating on the Dobro, the soul of the fiddle, and the space of being in Harrison's fold.



At the centre of it all is Corinne ~ and when she sings, she doesn't sound like anyone else. She sounds like honey, smoke and sunrise. It's a voice that you want to hear closely. There's integrity in it. It's not a voice that's going to lie to you or try to sell you something. Corinne has something special to share, and each time you get close and press 'play', it's like being in the best seat in the house.



"The Promise" is a fine record with provocative lyrics, great accompaniment, and singing that quickens the heart. This time out, by conjuring more spacious, atmospheric arrangements that place West's sultry vocals at the front of the mix West has tweaked the blueprint established on 2004's head-turning debut Bound For The Living and its stunning 2007 follow-up Second Sight, to telling effect. Fans fearing a major departure need not be alarmed - West has not deserted her roots but rather honed her production skills to cut her most ambitious and enduring record to date. This is music you can return to again and again…



In concert, Corinne brings a special grace and fire to the stage. The strength of her songwriting, the power of her voice and her magnetic stage presence create a captivating performance, winning rave reviews at home and abroad. People who hear Corinne perform once want to be there again. Some have taken to traveling major distances for the opportunity. If you get the chance to hear her live, take it… Lady Luck's a music lover, and there's no telling where this all might go.



"For the second straight time, Corinne West has landed on our best-of-the-year lists at Jefferson Public Radio. Second Sight continues to place her among the most masterful Americana singers and songwriters, and the stellar cast of musicians surrounding her support her elegant work with absolute grace. Indeed, one of the best albums of the year"
Eric Alan, Music Director, Jefferson Public Radio



"I love Corinne's music and truly believe in her as an artist. She has spirit, integrity and talent. I am a massive fan."
Bob Harris, Legendary British broadcaster, BBC Radio2



"Wow, what a voice!! Vocals like this one come around only once in a blue moon, crisp, clear, refreshing, like a fall breeze."
Jeff Rusch, Music Director, KNTI



"Corinne West is on her way up. Great songs and powerful singing are going to take her far."
Montrose Daily Press, Colorado



"Talent. Pure talent."
Strictly Country



"West's clear voice and emotional delivery are compelling, .she has a lot to say as a songwriter."
No Depression



"If you didn't know her name before, Second Sight is sure to put Corinne West on the map and garner repeated listens The album ignites from the speakers like the burst of a flame!"
Jambase



"One listen to Second Sight should be enough to convince you that Corinne West is worth your attention."
Vintage Guitar Magazine
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