Chosen as one of 6 "Best Unsigned Bands" by Amtrak magazine, and a Top 10 Favorite by The Washington Post, Joanne Juskus' much-anticipated follow-up to her acclaimed debut CD delivers her poetic lyricism and compelling melodies.

13 MP3 Songs
FOLK: like Joni, FOLK: Modern Folk



Details:
Chosen as one of six "Best Unsigned Bands" by Amtrak's Arrive Magazine (March/April 2006), Joanne Juskus has been a staple of the Baltimore music scene since her debut album was released to critical acclaim in 2001. Named a "Top 10 Favorite" by The Washington Post, Joanne has been compared to such music luminaries as Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Sarah Maclachlan and Natalie Merchant. Joanne has appeared at such notable venues as Merriweather Post Pavilion, NYC's Knitting Factory and Bitter End, Bethlehem Musikfest and the Columbia Festival of the Arts. With the release of her second CD, See Your Face, Joanne explores new themes and directions, combining her folk roots with modern instrumentation. Created during her battle with Lyme disease, See Your Face is a triumph of spiritual and creative exploration. Joanne is the founder and host of the Sound Foundation Benefit Concert Series at the Patterson, supporting Baltimore's growing music scene, while donating a portion of ticket proceeds to local charities.

Reviews:

âFile under heavenly voices...â
â Albert Garzon, former producer for 10,000 Maniacs

âIf her Joni-Mitchell-meets-Suzanne-Vega styled verses donât perk your ears, her breathy soprano will.â
â Maria Villafana, The Washington Post

âPicture all the best of Natalie Merchantâs passion in performance, Joni Mitchellâs control of the way language sounds, the musical sense of Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicksâ lure, woven into one unique lyrical blues-infused voice.â
â Heather Wiederstein, 1340mag.com

"Musikfest receives over 3,000 submissions a year, and Joanne Juskusâs CD was the best one Iâve ever heard. Her vocals on âNever Be the Sameâ were like a breath of fresh air, reminiscent of Joan Osborneâs lush sound and songcrafting. Joanne and her band will soon become a nationally recognized name in the music industry.â
â Robin Zaremski, Director of Performing Arts, ArtsQuest

âJust brilliant!â
â Michael Jaworek, The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA

âOne sure gem is âJoanne Juskusâ (Rudderfish), the debut album by Joanne Juskus. This singer-songwriter jumped into the top-10 of the MP3.com charts and was a finalist in the âWomen of MP3.comâs Song of the Yearâ competition. Web surfers responded to her striking soprano voice, which seems to promise a personal intimacy while refusing to be pinned down... her throaty voice has a quirky eroticism and an irrepressible sauciness that make her distinctive... she has arrived as a singer.â
â Geoffrey Himes, music critic, The Washington Post and Patuxent Publishing

âJoanne Juskusâs vocal range and lyrical integrity caught my interest within ten seconds of listening to the first song. She explores new ground while paving the way with enough consistency that the listener never loses touch with the music. This music makes listening an active, rather than a passive, experience.â
â Melissa Federoff, Earburn Radio, Bloomington, Indiana

âLow key and a bit trippy, Juskusâ music comes across as almost a slightly psychedelic, new age Tori Amos or Suzanne Vega. It may well be just a matter of time before the major labels come calling.â
â Matthew Hirst, C-ville Alternative Weekly, Charlottesville, VA

âListener, beware, this music is addictive.â
â Lisa Jane Hammett, University of Maryland Retriever

Juskusâ debut album, See Your Face, is a journey in itself. From its more experimental tendencies to its spiritual leanings, See Your Face owns its own style and needs not borrow outside ideas. The albums opens with âHoly Manâ and an almost Krishna Das-like chant- but donât be quick to judge. Wait until she starts singing like a young Joni Mitchell.

One of my favorite things about this album is the variety of instrumentation present. You can find everything from hammered dulcimers to Indian slide guitars to a variety of percussion instruments. The wide range of percussive instrumentation is not surprising, considering Juskusâ past with the band Telesma, who blends âthe ancient and modern in instrumentation and spiritâ. Telesma seems to have rubbed off onto Juskusâ style. âNothingâ is a definite change in pace after the first five tracks, reminding me vaguely of Meredith Brooks, only not as angsty. It also features an amazing mandolin solo. However, this change is only temporary and the album reverts back to its slower pace after the track. âMissing Youâ is a beautiful track, featuring only Juskusâ voice, her piano, and a violin. âTogether Apartâ is possibly the best track on the album and truly allows Juskus to set her beautiful voice on display (as if the rest of the tracks donât already).
Joanne Juskus has succeeded in many aspects with the release of See Your Face. She has created an album so diverse that it cannot simply be heard and understood. There is a depth to every track, a reason for every rhythm, and a meaning behind everything. Be prepared to make some room on your Ipod- I think she just beat out Robert Pollard on mine. This is one woman that you should keep an eye out for.
â Mark Pranger, Independent Music.com

"Joanne Juskus has a voice that makes me think of Joni Mitchell and Sheryl Crow, but with more of a Sarah McLachlin quality in an Enya type setting. The music is a mixture of world beat and standard rock, with Joanne handling the piano as well as the vocals on the tracks. My favorite songs are the deep flowing ones like "Gravity", "Dally Not", "Rite & Ritual" & "Breathing Underwater" due to their weaving of vocal and instrumental lines into a thick tapestry of sound and emotion.
â thechickenspeaks.com

See Your Face is a gorgeous-sounding record. Juskus, a keyboard player and singer-songwriter, has made one for the headphones. Full of layers of sound, I was immediately taken with the superb production, which gives the recording a sense of aural spaciousness. Its opening song, Holy Man, begins with a chant in Sanskrit.âOm ajnana-timirandhasya jananjana-salakaya caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah" (translated). "I offer myself to sri guru, who with the lamp of wisdom has dispelled the darkness of ignorance from my blind eyes." As a sitar-like instrument drones underneath the chant, its layers of voices and echoes give it a feeling of otherworldliness, before it fades into Juskus on the piano, playing one of the many lovely melodies that show up in abundance on this disc. That opening chant is one of a few Hindu influences she brings to the record. Others include the songs Right and Ritual And Daily Not, which have lyrics based on poems by Swami B.V Tripurari, a Hindu monk in the Gaudiya Valsnava tradition (www.swami.org). The former, a slower tune with a New Age atmosphere, sums up the philosophy that Juskus follows on See Your Face. It reads, "rhyme and rhythm/the drum beats, and we are driven/to dance and sing with abandon/what merry have you made and why do I ask on". With that, she gives us 13 songs from her heart, soul and beyond. Along with the Eastern influences, she also throws a little pop and rock into the mix. The title track is an up-tempo number that has a very catchy chorus. On Nothing Juskus rocks out. It's a great kiss-off song that has Juskus proclaiming, "you left me with nothing and it feels so good." It's her song of liberation and enlightenment as she chastises her former lover with lines like "no more cutting condescension, no castigating conversation" and "you took your ambivalence, your alibis and my innocence..." by the time she gets to the end and sings " who needs you -- I've got my own style" you can tell the girl is pissed. Speaking of style, there are certain songs where you can't help but draw comparisons to Joni Mitchell. On Gravity and Untouched she emulates Mitchell's vocal style to a degree. And you can definitely hear influences in some of her piano playing. Both songs are good demonstrations of Juskus' vocal range. Her voice is very fluid, capable of being both delicate and strong.

This is one of the best-sounding CDs I've heard in a while. Produced by Chris Mandra, Frank Marchand, and Juskus, the recording has a real presence to it. It has a wide sound field, which gives it an expansive quality. Stereo separation is great, but run through a surround sound processor in Dolby Digital® or DTS® music mode, it sounds fantastic. A variety of different sounds and instruments from five distinct channels really opens up the recording.

See Your Face is a totally accessible piece of music. Joanne Juskus is a first-rate songwriter, player and vocalist who knows her way around a melody and the importance of a catchy hook. Full of different sounds and styles, it's the personal reflection of a woman and the spiritual guidance in her life. When I reviewed her first album years ago, I said I thought that she was one of the most talented singer-songwriters in the area, and that still stands. Since then, she has matured as a songwriter and musician and branched off into other projects, most notably Telesma, a very cool band that's an experience in itself. To hear tracks from See Your Face, and learn more about Joanne Juskus, go to joannejuskusmusic.com. I think you'll like what you hear.
â Michael Macey, Chesapeake Music Guide