Sara Holtzschue

…is a more personal vocal CD with all the songs written by the singer, Sara Holtzschue. Holtzschue has an honest, haunting voice that is oddly reminiscent of some of the great female singers who have come out of the British folk tradition in recent decades, like Sandy Denny and June Tabor, or, in a Jazzier vein, Christine Tobin. She performs over a frisky, billowing guitar trio with Nate Radley’s lush, atmospheric guitar making an excellent foil for her voice. That folk-Jazz influence is strong for most of the CD, but “Angel” sees some Blues tones creeping in to Holtzschue’s voice. And the final track, “Colors Are Made,” is a full blown otherworldly cocktail of a madrigal and the Blues, Holtzschue singing with a mournful, hymn-like flatness accented with blue notes over a plush downbeat rhythm from Radley and the rhythm section. The sad, intimate beauty of her voice really sticks in your head.

©Cadence Magazine 2008
www.cadencebuilding.com
- Cadence Magazine

Sara Holtzschue's new recording "Beneath" has been hailed by her listeners and fellow artists. They write of her "beautiful, haunting, and complex voice - not to mention being absolutely stunned and riveted by the compositions (Quin Murphy, Portland, OR);" as well as the "…dreamy, mesmerizing (Scott Sandvik, Guitarist and Composer, Boston, MA)" quality of her work. "The voice is pure and direct with not a pretentious moment, which makes it very powerful. That clarity and definition is what we all strive for. The moods, the chords, and the sincerity all shine through in these beautiful recordings. There is coherence and warmth in all of it (Eleanor Cory, Composer, New York, NY)."

"Ms. Holtzschue's compositions show a high degree of creativity which successfully synthesize the variety of influences she acknowledges. The haunting quality of her lyrics is greatly enhanced by melodies which often alternate between chromaticism and unexpected intervallic leaps. Her harmonic language successfully incorporates modality, ostinato patterns, and colorful non-functional chord progressions. The use of odd and/or changing meters helps keep the phrasing from sounding routine. Her excellent band deserves a lot of credit for bringing her music to life with great empathy and for meeting the improvisational demands. This talented artist is certainly worthy of encouragement and support." (The City University of New York). - City University of New York