Star Anna Bucks the Trend on "If Wishes Were Horses"
Late last year, I took a vacation to Seattle and met up with a local music writer for a few beers. Afterwards, he sent me an e-mail with a few country-influenced singer-songwriters from the area that seemed to be on the right track. When I finally had some time to dig in, I discovered a pretty cool video, "If Wishes Were Horses," on Star Anna's MySpace page. I liked the gloomy imagery, and there's definitely a West Coast country vibe in the music, too. You just don't hear women singing this style of music that often, at least not in Nashville. Since that trip, I've learned that Star Anna has finished a new album, which is available digitally on her Web site now, with CDs to follow. I'll be heading back to Seattle in a few months, so hopefully I can catch her live, maybe at the Tractor Tavern. (Oh, how I love the Tractor Tavern.) In the meantime, here's the video for "If Wishes Were Horses."
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Baron Lane says:
I’m a big fan of Star Anna. She made my “top 10 best releases” from last year.
kaye says:
I really enjoyed that Craig! My first introduction to Star Anna! You say ‘west coast country vibe’, I say there is a definite blend of folk, country, rock that goes together very well. The imagery is really ’stark reality’ that goes with the flavor of her message to my brain. LIKED IT and THANKS!
Tim Coffey says:
I know Justin and he can bring it. S.A. is tearin’ up the NW as we speak! Kick it!
Aaron says:
Amazing! I would love to hear a bunch more from this group. KUDOS!
Sarah says:
Star Anna is a very talented musician with wonderful professional talent in her band. “Five Minutes to Midnight” is my personal favorite from their first album, very haunting. Grab every opportunity to see them and hear them!
RedMaZ says:
A new group for me. Star Anna has a great sound. Thanks for the tip, and thanks for bringing some adult music to the cmt blogs.
Dave says:
Wow! Awesome sound on the new album especially! Thanks for posting this.
Merle’s Bastard Son says:
Star Anna has earned her peer chops with the likes of Neko Case, Brandi Carlisle and others who have carved out a niche of Americana in the Pacific Northwest. The Only Thing That Matters is a stunning album on a number of levels. The album conveys the dark and lonely heartaches of our times when relatiohships and bank accounts are running on empty. “…we can pay for the pills, but we can’t pay the bills” is a novel in 11 words that mirrors Flannery OConner and Joyce Carol Oates. Star Anna’s voice of heartbreaking purity bends words and phrases into angst we all have felt and draws us close to her. Star Anna builds stone walls of protection from the vulnerbility found in her previous release Crooked Path. “Burn” is a slow building scorcher that sets the history straight of not quite love still gone bad. The uptempo songs showcase Travis Yost’s guitar riffs to good results. The Tom Petty influence remains strong. At 23, Star Anna’s voice carries heartbreak, pain and passion well beyond her years. “All Her Ghosts” is a rocking, drum heavy, song of love conflicted,confused, and complicated; a great place to start listening to Star Anna.