Nora Jane Struthers... An Up and Coming Artist Who Embraces Nostalgia

I always admire anyone with the guts to follow their dreams, particularly when it comes to the music industry. Two years ago, 26 year old Nora Jane Struthers was a high school English literature teacher in Brooklyn, New York. Today, she's based in Nashville, Tennesee, on the verge of releasing her debut album Nora Jane Struthers. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at this CD, which will be available for sale on June 22, 2010, and I must say, I liked what I heard. But, I have to admit, part of the reason I decided to listen to Nora Jane Struthers' album has to do with the fact that she's playing a gig in my hometown this weekend.

I grew up in Gloucester, Virginia, which until very recently could be considered kind of a small town. Aside from the local high school and some churches, Gloucester has never really had any concert venues to speak of. But then the Bena General Store opened and became a local spot for up and coming artists. Nora Jane Struthers is appearing there May 29th and I will just happen to be in town. I wanted to know, if I decided to attend the show would I like what I'd hear? After listening to Struthers' brand of bluegrass fusion, I think the answer would be yes. Nora Jane Struthers is a fine singer, but she's also a wonderful songwriter. She wrote eleven of the twelve songs on her debut; the twelfth song is traditional with a Struthers style arrangement.

Nora Jane Struthers was produced by Brent Truitt, a well-known and respected member of Nashville's music industry. He's worked with Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, and the Dixie Chicks. And Struthers also has some first rate musicians working with her on this CD. Stuart Duncan plays fiddle; Bryan Sutton plays guitar; and dobro star Rob Ickes is also onhand. These three men, along with banjo player Scott Vestal and singer, multi-instrumentalist Tim O' Brien, given Struthers the appropriate musical backbone to match the heartfelt song lyrics she's written.

I can tell Nora Jane Struthers has a background in English literature, mainly because each of her songs tell a story through a different character. The first song, "Willie", is sung from the perspective of a desperate young woman who has just jilted a marriage proposal from a murderous man. Struthers' vocals give the character a voice as she pleads for mercy. In "Look Out On The Mountain", Struthers is a mother who's looking after her desperately sick child. The child's father has gone to town for medicine, but it seems he has a problem with alcohol. Mother and child pray that he comes home in time to save the little girl from certain death. In "The Blight", she sings from the perspective of an old farmer who has watched his beautiful land raped in the name of "progress" and in "Evelyn", she takes on the character of a man with big dreams who married a high society girl. When the dreams didn't quite pan out, they both suffered.

Not all of the songs on Nora Jane Struthers are sad. In "Thistle", she sings the character of a young girl who pleads with her father not to make her marry just any guy. She wants a year to find the love of her life. Father relents and she's successful. In "Cowgirl Yodel #3", she reveals a fun side as she sings of becoming a cowgirl and singing her cowgirl songs as she works the range. This song is played in a Texas swing and gives Struthers a chance to show an impressive vocal range and dexterity.

Besides her impressive singing and songwriting abilities, Nora Jane Struthers also has an interesting personal style. She wears vintage dresses that recall the 1930s and 40s, effortlessly pulling off the elegance of an era long passed. Her music, which is a mixture of bluegrass, Celtic, folk, and old time, suits her sense of fashion perfectly.

I would recommend Nora Jane Struthers to anyone who enjoys songs that tell a story coupled with vintage acoustic sounds. Look for it on June 22, 2010.

Source:

http://www.norajanestruthers.com/