Seattle Times Music Critic Paul de Barros listed Linda Waterfall’s 13^th 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, 11/15/2015
 

Linda Waterfall has been named “Seattle’s Top Singer-Songwriter” by the Seattle Times, the Seattle Weekly, the Rocket, and the KZAM Arts and Entertainment Poll.
 
Linda grew up in a musical family, with early training in classical piano, music theory, composition and voice. Her songs reflect both classical training and many popular influences including folk, jazz, blues, rock and world music.

A highly accomplished guitarist and pianist, she tours as a solo musician, composes choral and vocal music, and works in the studio as both a recording producer and session musician. She taught songwriting for 15 years through the Washington State Arts Commission, and was songwriting instructor at Cornish College of the Arts from 2005-2012.

About Linda Waterfall’s music, Tony May wrote in the London publication Folk Roots: “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.”