Halie Loren

“Halie Loren-Intelligent, unique, original, gifted. It's difficult to find enough words to describe the incredible talent of this young artist. Quite simply, she is everything that is good about music. From the moment I heard her warm sensual voice and beautiful, textured phrasing, I was completely blown away. Add to that her incredible songwriting and instrumental skills, you have a truly special young woman. One of those rare artists that I believe could take any song from any genre and make it her very own. This album is an absolute gem.” (Rob Lardie, www.CDReviewsbyyou.com) - Rob Lardie, www.CDReviewsbyyou.com

“Halie is my new favorite artist over here at Whole Wheat Radio. Considering we air thousands of independent singer-songwriters and I'm somewhat immune because we hear so much music, that is the highest compliment I can give. I feel the same sort of wonder I felt when I first heard Eva Cassidy. I am stunned that Halie is only in her 20s. This is an artist I want to keep track of because once the world hears her, I think she has the talent and ability to be a major performer. I highly recommend this CD.” (Jim Kloss, Whole Wheat Radio - www.wholewheatradio.net) - Jim Kloss

“She sings of love and struggle, like most performers, but with stories and poetry that are complex and accessible without relying on catchy repetitive hooks or obscurity needing Impressionistic interpretation.” (Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire) - Mark Sabbatini

“The songs are written with a lot of intricate layers and interesting pieces. They often go where you don’t expect which, to me, is a good indicator of a talented songwriter. The piano composition and performance are divine…Her voice is beautiful. She puts so much emotion into her words and melodies you really feel it along with her.” (http://www.collectedsounds.com - Amy

Halie Loren on They Oughta Write A Song
displays the rare ability of being able to make the
most familiar song sound fresh and relevant,
along with a talent at transforming unlikely
material into jazz. The Oregon-based singer had
previously recorded in several different idioms.
They Oughta Write A Song is her full-length jazz
set.

Accompanied by a fine rhythm section that
includes her longtime pianist Matt Treder with
occasional contributions from trumpeter Tim
McLaughlin, she performs a wide variety of music
that ranges from an intimate duet version of �As
Time Goes By� and a slightly funky �Blue Skies�
to �Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay� and Pete
Seeger�s �My Rainbow Race.� Halie has a
fetching voice that sometimes reveals a sensual
country twang (particularly on the title cut, one of
her three originals), occasionally hints slightly at
Nora Jones (on �A Whiter Shade Of Pale�) and
yet sounds pretty distinctive overall. She makes
�Autumn Leaves,� �Fever� and �Summertime�
sound like new songs and is particularly delightful
on �Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.� While her
improvising is subtle, she brings out the often-
hidden beauty in these 13 selections.
They Oughta Write A Song is easily
recommended and available from www.halieloren.
com.
Scott Yanow - LA Jazz Scene Monthly

...“Halie Loren is an individual that makes an impact as a poet, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, and on top of all of that talent, sings like a woman on mission perfectly positioned to carry her story to the world via her music. She does it ALL very well. With one listen to Full Circle , you will become a believer. It did not take long for me to realize I was listening to a special artist... I can be absolute about one thing, the lyrics are very powerful, and the piano playing lying underneath it all is the foundation from which the tracks come flowing forth like a river out of control with unyielding emotion… It’s obvious this woman has been through a lot, like many of us, and has no problem wearing her heart on her sleeve. And that is exactly why I admire her for what she is doing here. The best part about it all, besides the great lyrics, is that it comes at you set to sounds that are just as biting and attention grabbing. This is a great album, and one that needs plenty of recognition and a large audience to enjoy just as I did.” (Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck, http://www.muzikreviews.com) - Keith Hannaleck

..."Halie's voice is so full it quivers with emotion. To truly capture so much emotion in one's voice is true art, to express it is a gift indeed. The melody is as rich as the lyric and Halie's pliable voice does every note full justice weaving beauty into every measure... Halie's incredible voice, maturity in writing and phrasing belie her young years. Her music is perfectly suited for television and movie soundtracks and I expect that her songs will soon find their way into small and big screen productions. 'Full Circle' completes Halie’s first full length CD and it's a CD she should be proud of, and anyone would be proud to add to their collection." (Annette Conlon, creator and host of 'Nette Radio, www.netteradio.com.)
Check out the June 21, 2006 show to hear "Full Circle" previewed and featured at http://www.netteradio.net/Halie-CDPreview.mp3 - www.netteradio.com

Halie Loren made quite an impression with her debut album, 2006's Full Circle. Loren proved she could write and perform songs that walk the line of emotional breakdown with a power and grace that are nearly unheard of in popular music. Loren, who is seemingly something of a musical restless heart, follows up with an album of classic jazz songs entitled They Oughta Write A Song. As good as Loren was on Full Circle, she sounds as if she were born to sing jazz. They Oughta Write A Song hits all the right notes from start to finish.

Starting off with the pensive title track, Loren's silky alto slides through the songs here like a hot knife through butter. Loren is smooth and full of a sensual grace that recalls Eartha Kitt at the top of her game. A Whiter Shade Of Pale is a gorgeous reading by Loren; she owns it like she wrote it, and it is one of the highlights of the CD. Blue Skies is performed in a mischievous, funky jazz arrangement that you won't soon forget. For all that's been said thus far, Halie Loren raises her game another notch on Autumn Leaves. The muted piano arrangement allows for maximum appreciation of Loren's virtuosic vocal, steeped in melancholy remembrance and regret.

Halie Loren really shakes things up on Fever. Get out your ice water, AC and oscillating fans. They won't be enough. Loren proceeds to find the heart of The Blues on God Bless The Child. I keep wanting to point out particular songs as highlights, but the difficulty is that everything here is just so good that the word highlight becomes meaningless. That being said, Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps is amazing. There is a mischievous quality to this performance that allows Loren to reach even higher and touch perfection for two minutes and twenty-one seconds. How Should I Know, The Dock Of The Bay and I Don't Miss It Much are up to the level that Loren has established throughout the album, and Summertime is absolutely glorious. Summertime is one of those songs that EVERYBODY who sings Jazz or Broadway tunes tries on at least once. As such it’s easy to listen to each new rendition with a jaded ear, but occasionally a particular performance will still pique interest. Halie Loren's version is full of soul; adopting the warm and easy feel of the prototypical summer's day that the song uses as its scenery. Loren waxes and wanes in intensity as she builds toward the song's peak. Her performance is a master class that avoids the attempt some singers make to overpower the song on the final chorus, letting the power of the song speak for itself.

I'm torn. After hearing Full Circle I very much anticipated Loren's next project. After hearing They Oughta Write A Song, it seems as if Loren was born with Jazz in her veins. Loren is one of those artists that can sing pop, rock, jazz and even Broadway without missing a beat. She could be equally successful in each realm. Hopefully over time she'll make time for both the pop/rock material and the jazz/show tunes. They Oughta Write A Song deserves to take a place among the great vocal jazz albums. Halie Loren becomes the first artist in the history of Wildy's World to have two Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Discs! They don't make them like this anymore.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5) - Wildy Haskell, "Wildy's World" blog, www.wildysworld.blogspot.com

"When Halie Loren grabs hold of the opening lines of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For� on her new live album, there’s something crucial at stake. It’s a risky move. Her interpretation of the U2 classic is retooled as an intimate love letter, one that tones down and jazzes a signature anthem by a globetrotting arena rock band. This is the musical equivalent of refiguring Anna Karenina as a haiku, but Loren and band pull it off. Actually, they nail it.
Photo by trask bedortha

Loren’s version — whispery and yearning where the original is soaring and seeking — siphons off none of the original’s emotional oomph or poetic power. With the subtlest nudges of voice and phrasing, she transforms the song from quasi-religious ballad into a seared, sepia-toned snapshot of midnight solitude, full of smoldering vocal turns and subtle chromatic runs. It’s gutsy but eminently tasteful gambits like this — trimming Joshua Tree into a weeping willow — that qualify Loren as something more than another golden-throated chanteuse.

She is, in every sense of the word, an artist. At just 25 years of age and with four albums under her belt, she reveals an almost auteur-like level of involvement in every aspect of her craft....

...The dual meaning and personal subtext of Stages is evident from the first song, “Danger in Loving You,� a whispery, shadowy confessional that Loren co-wrote with Nashville-based collaborator Larry Wayne Clark. If her previous album, They Oughta Write a Song, was downright clinical in the way it offered indubitable evidence of her range and ability, Stages is a more ragged, roughed-up but no less accomplished piece of modern jazz noir. Loren’s voice is more nuanced and enchanting than ever. It’s not that her tone or delivery has changed; it’s more that her singing, always pitch-perfect, has evolved as a sort of emotional barometer, registering the slightest disturbances in the atmosphere.

Stages — which flows organically between Loren originals, jazz standards, intriguingly arranged oddities and moments of leavening humor — offers proof of an artist alive to the tumult of life’s sad/happy, tragic/comic pageant, and to the bumps and bruises the world daily administers. Loren’s singing conveys the wonders of the invisible world: wounded defiance, stubborn love, hard-earned hopefulness. She sounds like someone who knows a thing or two about a thing or two, and has the chops to make that knowledge a thing of beauty."

-Rick Levin, for the Eugene Weekly's 4/15/10 issue.
To read the entire article, visit the URL below:
http://eugeneweekly.com/2010/04/15/music1.html - Rick Levin, The Eugene Weekly

…”Halie Loren was born with music in her blood. Her voice, phrasing, versatility, maturity, songwriting, and stage presence allows her to move effortlessly between genres of music. She's one of this country's most likely candidates to put integrity and quality back into pop music." (Mike Meyer, former Music Director KKUP-Cupertino and KRVM-Eugene)

- Mike Meyer: KMHD Portland, KRVM Eugene, KKUP Cupertino