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Cyndi Harles
Media Matrixx, Inc.
(612) 282-2398Radio Promotion Provided by:
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Contact: Steve Theo
The Respond Project has drawn widespread coverage and critical praise from Billboard Magazine, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, and the New York Post to Rolling Stone, and Yahoo! News, plus numerous national reviewers and radio networks, including the Acoustic Café, World Café and the BBC. A few selected quotes are below:
". . . the songs have been chosen with great care. By focusing on the heart of the music rather than just the genre, this compilation takes seemingly disparate elements . . . and weaves them into sonic pattern that is cohesive, complex, and altogether compelling."
- Michael Simmons, Amazon Editorial Review
"this compilation will become a valued part of your record collection"
- Dan Aquilante, The New York Post, January 22, 2003
"home to a veritable potpourri of female singer/songwriters. Jonatha Brooke's" Steady Pull" - the hit that never was - is wonderfully saddled alongside the acoustic version of Indigo Girls' "She's Saving Me." Other winning moments include Angelique Kidjo's "Tumba," Ely Guerra's "Yo No," Susan Tedeschi's "Looking for Answers," Bebel Gilberto's "Sem Contenção," Odetta's "You Gotta Know How," and Dolly Parton's "Endless Stream of Tears."
- Spotlight Review, Billboard Magazine, January 18, 2003
"The CD's wonderful intentions aside, a finer collection of women's music could not be found"
- Women Who Rock Magazine March/April, 2003
Four and 1/2 stars "As compilations go, Respond II is a rare embarrassment of riches... a multi-genre spectrum of performers, the compilation is loaded with emotion ...a heady collection ...a bounty of good songs."
- Chuck Campbell, Scripps-Howard News Service, January 31, 2000
Four stars "Respond was one of the most important compilation albums to come out of Boston in the '90s . . . fine contributions by the likes of Kay Hanley ensure that Respond II, despite the presence of big-name stars, is a worthy product of the local scene."
- Chris Cameron, The Boston Phoenix, March 20, 2000
"Respond II brings big-name sparkle to the cause. Grand dames Joan Baez and Dolly Parton are joined by punksters Sleater-Kinney and Tanya Donelly. The Lilith Fair neo-folk sound is represented in force, with the Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan and Suzanne Vega. Then there are those performers who are harder to categorize, but whose strong musicianship has won them a devoted following: globe-trotting African singer Angelique Kidjo, Latin diva Bebel Gilberto, country/blues standby Susan Tedeschi and Oscar-nominated alt-rocker Aimee Mann. The CD also introduces such up-and-comers as 24-year-old songwriting prodigy Erin McKeown and neo-folkster Deb Talan. Respond II has won praise for its diverse mix of styles. By selecting songs with care, the producers were able to create a compilation that moves smoothly from rock, to folk, to Latin, to country."
- Etelka Lehoczky, The Chicago Tribune, March 19, 2003
"this compilation will become a valued part of your record collection. . .it isn't a complete Who's Who of music's female movers and shakers, but Respond II - with its impressive intergenerational roster featuring one gender and many genres - comes pretty close. . . . Kudos to the producers, who managed to make an interesting disc that's consistent but not stylistically or melodically repetitive."
- Dan Aquilante, The New York Post, January 22, 2003
"a veritable potpourri of female singer/songwriters"
Spotlight Review - Billboard Magazine, January 18, 2003
". . .a match made in heaven. Music lovers get a remarkable collection of songs [and] an important issue gets attention and financial support."
- Joan Anderman, The Boston Globe, January 17, 2003
"The music on Respond II is eclectic, but the songs have been chosen with great care. By focusing on the heart of the music rather than just the genre, this compilation takes seemingly disparate elements . . . and weaves them into sonic pattern that is cohesive, complex, and altogether compelling."
- Michael Simmons, Amazon Editorial Review
Respond II featured on Billboard.com's Daily Music News for January 03, 2003
Edited by Jonathan Cohen
A host of female musicians have donated "special and previously unreleased tracks" to "Respond II," a two-disc compilation that will benefit families affected by domestic violence. Featuring songs by Sarah McLachlan, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, the Indigo Girls, Angelique Kidjo, and Suzanne Vega, the 32-track set is currently available directly from the Signature Sounds label's Web site, and will be released Jan. 21 through traditional and online retailers via distribution from Koch.
Four Stars "Don't buy it just because it's a great cause: You'll probably plunk down the money for the well-known artists ... But there are also a bevy of lesser-knowns who deserve your attention, including Deb Talan, Erin McKeown and Ely Guerra."
- Dave Ferman, Fort Worth Star Telegram, January 24, 2003
Four stars "Charming...the lineup of female performers is eclectic...but the music flows together seamlessly...(the songs) focus on the strength and vulnerability of the human spirit."
- Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel, January 24, 2003
"A virtual who's who of female musicians, a strong compilation, and the cause is beyond reproach."
- Rob Thomas, Capitol Times/Rhythm
"This double disc compilation just might become your personal spring soundtrackŠ Respond II leaves no musical palette untouched as it swings wide the boundaries of sound in celebration of women in song."
- Skirt Magazine, April 2003
"Tough to find a better cause and it's tough to find a more colorful cast than the women who bring their songs to life on the double disc compilation Respond II... Some of the set's best moments include the sweet soul of Wanetta Jackson...Susan Tedeschi's deep dark blues...and Sleater-Kinney who let their loud, raw guitars hang right over the edge of the jukebox...A fine opportunity to get exposed to lots of new music, while simultaneously taking a stand against domestic violence."
- Kevin O'Hare, Inside Playback, January 19, 2003
Quotes about the first Respond compilation...
"One of the most important and courageous records of the decade."
- Timothy White, Editor-in-chief, Billboard Magazine, quoted in the Boston Herald, 9/99"Though the Respond CD might have just been another good deed floating in the ether, it stood out from the pack because it's a great album that is musically and thematically cohesive, hardly common in Compilation Land... Covering folk, pop, country, and rock, the album is a vibrant, engaging, heartwarming listen."
- Sarah Rodman, The Boston Herald, 9/19/99Letter grade "A" - The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia, 1/21/99
"This is a truly amazing record... it features some of the most gifted contemporary singer/songwriters (female or male) of the East Coast, truly showcasing a wealth of experience, talent, and beauty. If only all cities breathed music like Boston. This is not a hit-or-miss album, every song that is contained in this compilation is worthy of being included and the manner in which this project came together is a nice reminder that music can heal some wounds."
- Indie-music.com"A stellar group of female singer-songwriters"
- The Boston Globe, 9/23/99(Three and a half out of four stars) "If the two-CD set Respond did nothing more than showcase the variety and consistent excellence of female singer-songwriters in the Boston area, it would be a success. But because both Respond and its concert benefits Respond Inc...this set is a must-buy. . . . Respond is a rare animal - a good-cause album that's actually good."
- The Boston Herald, 12/13/99"One of the strongest and most comprehensive local compilations in recent memory"
- The Boston Phoenix, 11/ 27/98"an absolute knockout lineup of artists... the quality of the songs is wonderfully good"
- The TAB, 12/1/98"Compilations have been around for decades, but every now and then one will appear that stands above the rest, and Respond is surely one of those, a watershed recording..."
- Mixx Magazine, Summer 1999"One of the best and most powerful compilations to come out of the acoustic music community in years"
-Music Matters Review, 10/99
