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Gretchen Witt

Gretchen Witt - Gretchen Witt

What do you get when you take a sweet young gal from Ohio, and throw her into the rough streets of New York City at the tender age of 18. Well it's not what you might think as many would turn out angry and mean from the transition. Gretchen Witt kept her sweet innocence with maybe just a bit of cynicism thrown in to the mix, but that just adds character, gawd I cannot believe I just said that, builds character, so does belonging to a street gang,, but just maybe in the other direction. Gretchen Witt has a pseudo-folk coffee house sound going on that suits her voice just fine, don't look for any really in-depth lyrics here, but you will find a well crafted demo CD that allows Gretchen Witt to showcase her talent and leave you wondering what is in store in the future.

Now with a degree in arts from N.Y.U.’s Tisch School of the Arts, Gretchen Witt spent much of her class time writing rhymes (Lyrics we know they were today) instead of her class studies, and I get a feel this is just the tip of the preverbal ice berg for Gretchen Witt. The talent and vocal prowess are already here, and the playing it a bit safe in the lyric department may just be to show you where she will start, I am already prepared to hear more from Gretchen Witt as I know this, for me, is just a tease into the heart and soul of this rising pop-folk songstress.

See, what I get here is a true, and pleasant, introduction of a lady that knows where she wants to go. If you could take a bit of Tracy Chapman (at least in the vocal characteristics), add some Norah Jones and maybe a bit of Natalie Merchant that shines through at times you will get the feel of the direction and sound of Gretchen Witt. There is a drawing power to this CD that makes me feel simply why I don't get more than 5 songs, but leaves me with the satisfaction of knowing that I will get much more form Gretchen Witt in the future. 

All the songs have a charming appeal that makes for a pleasant and easy listen. To categorize this into a simple genre like Folk, or pop would be an injustice as this CD can slip from pop to a bit of Jazz, a touch of blues, and a crisp feel of adult alternative and AC. Gretchen Witt is sure to turn some heads with her debut demo recording, and gain some real fans along the way. "Criminal", "So Called Bliss" and the blues-jazz feel of "Over and Done" make this an EP to be on the search for. A great introduction to a talent that should be on the brink of something bigger.

  ( 4.5 Stars out of 6 )

Listen to some clips below just click on the song names

     Play lo-fi Clip of "So Called Bliss"

     Play lo-fi Clip of "Over and Done"