CATIE CURTIS
Stretch Limousine on Fire
Compass 745632

www.compassrecords.com
 

Oddly, the popular Boston-based singer-songwriter Catie Curtis is sometimes called out for lacking the harsh edginess of contemporaries like Ani DiFranco and Melissa Ferrick. This is an unfair poke, for two reasons. First, Catie’s heartfelt joy and optimism are exactly what makes her such a compelling songwriter and performer. Second, as is evident on this album, her confessional songwriting can be as profound and fearless as anyone’s.

The opening track, “Let It Last,” is a perfect example. The recently-married Catie waxes about her lucky life, but admits that “it can’t last,” and so asks only “that it last a little longer.” In the title song, Catie’s experience in seeing a limousine burning in Hollywood leads her to observe that even those who are riding high can “have those days,” which she confesses makes her “feel so good.” Not that the songs all have a dark edge: Catie celebrates her marriage exuberantly in “I Do” and “Wedding Band,” and although she considers death in “Seeds and Tears,” she is convinced that beyond the grave is “a place where we we’ll meet, my love.”

The songs are upbeat folk/rock, given drive and nuance by Duke Levine on steel guitar and Julie Wolf on keyboards. Lisa Loeb and Mary Chapin Carpenter add backing vocals. The sound is more immediate and raw than in her prior work, which suits the material well.

— Scott Sheldon