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Reviews

Seattle Times Music Critic Paul de Barros listed Linda Waterfall’s 13th recording, Hometown Girl, among his 10 favorite new albums of 2015—alongside recordings by Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Matthew Shipp, Ben Goldberg, Dave Douglas Quintet, Laurie Anderson, Sam Phillips, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and Mary Halvorson. Here’s his review of Hometown Girl:
 
“Seattle singer-songwriter Linda Waterfall continues to grow and grow, not only as a stunningly precise guitar player, but as a sophisticated composer who often reaches levels of lyrical depth and harmonic purpose comparable to Joni Mitchell.
 
“Her jazzy, immaculately self-produced new album, Hometown Girl, emits light and energy at supernova strength, illuminating her passions—all things homegrown (‘Hometown Girl’), following your heart (‘Play Now’), great writers (‘Song For Jane,’ for Jane Austen; ‘Jim’s Song,’ for Mark Twain)—as well as her fears—(the touching and hilarious ‘I Don’t Want to Get Dressed’). Her guitar work on John Lennon’s ‘Come Together’ is extraordinary.” —Paul de Barros, Seattle Times Weekend, 11/13/2015
 

Additional Reviews & Testimonials:

Seattle:
“…her Whitmanic embrace of the American panorama, mixing vernacular and highbrow culture, and everything in between.”
—Paul de Barros, Seattle Times

“…Seattle’s top singer-songwriter.”
—Gavin Borchert, Seattle Weekly

Minneapolis:
“Linda Waterfall, an extraordinary folk musician from Washington state, plays bristling, driving guitar and rolling, enveloping piano. …If all that weren’t enough, Ms. Waterfall is a moving, terrific singer, blessed with star-of-the-choir pipes.”
—Tom Surowicz, Twin Cities Reader

Boston:
“Waterfall nearly stole the show with her infectiously joyful anthem “Love Out of Nowhere,” and a hilarious satire of a redneck whose sexist posturing suddenly dissolves into new age psycho-speak.”
—Scott Alarik, Boston Globe

“Her musicianship is astonishing, and her lyrical sense is at the cutting edge. I can’t see any serious fan of songwriting remaining ignorant of her work.”
—Bob Franke, New England Folk Almanac

Philadelphia:
“Waterfall’s music is a tasty confection, made of classical, jazz and folk, with a twinge of blues and several mystery ingredients. Her lyrics visit the heart of the human condition.”
—Jonny Meister, WXPN

London:
“Totally refreshing and invigorating. The music’s soaked in classical influences….draws together rock, pop, jazz and folk elements into a label-defying synthesis. Linda’s instrumental prowess elicits the use of superlatives….”
—Tony May, Folk Root

Folk Alliance:
“I’ve offered to write a column for the newsletter highlighting various women instrumentalists… I have to start with Linda Waterfall because she is simply one of the finest fingerpicking guitar players alive on planet Earth today [emphasis added]… Linda’s playing is truly some of the most unique and imaginative I have ever encountered. It doesn’t sound like any kind of traditional folk, but it doesn’t really sound like pop or Jazz, either. I once asked her where she got her inspiration for her unusual chords and voicings and progressions, and she said, ‘Oh, Debussy, I guess’ (she is a very accomplished pianist as well)…Every note that comes out of this woman’s guitar is heart-wrenchingly pure and beautiful yet filled with a vibrancy that seems to come from somewhere deep in the universe.”
—Becky Bernson, Folk Alliance Newsletter