Correatown by Angela Correa

Influenced as much by Elisabeth Cotton, Bessie Smith & Jack Elliot as the likes of Beat Happening, PJ Harvey & Neil Young, Angela flirts with traditional folk by telling rich stories brought to life with real melodies, distinctive arrangement & contemporary topics. She is both literate and whimsical, and the nuance & subtlety of her voice is what most intrigues listeners.

"We just got Angela Correa's mysterious self-released CD, Correatown, in the mail and fell in love with her hooky balladry and vulnerable, slightly twangy vocals. (Note: We're not talking about Amy Correia.) You read it here first: Angela Correa, who just moved here from San Diego, is going to be a much loved L.A. artist in about 10 minutes."

- Kate Sullivan & Falling James, LA Weekly

Picks of the Week April 8, 2005

"Angela Correa recorded most of these songs in one take... one very lovely take. The disc is as alt-country or Americana as you will like -- haunting melodies, darker edges and a solid, heartfelt vocal. Think of Kathleen Edwards and songs like "Mercurial Heart" will jump out and grab you. Touches of keyboards and drums round out the songs, but if left alone Correa would shine. Correa could sing the horoscopes and draw you in judging by the gorgeous "Super Paper Airplanes" that resembles Sheryl Crow circa The Globe Sessions. She is in no hurry on these slower, roots-oriented tunes, especially the sway-inducing "Savvy Young Punks" although this one has some subtle pace changes. The lone up-tempo track early on is "Pinwheels" which resembles Lucinda circa Essence. There are several great tunes here, whether it is the somber "Saint Dinan" or the engaging "The Songcatcher". World weary and filled with some heartbreak, Correa nails each number perfectly, particularly the gorgeous "Hardship to Be (Souvenir)". A broken heart never sounded so good..." - 8/10 POPMATTERS.COM JULY 2005

"The problem with Angela Correa is that she's just too damn good at what she does. If Correatown was intended to be ten songs ripped from a soul in an attempt to exorcise some demons, then she's succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. Simply listening means you won't feel the same at the end as you did at the beginning, so God knows what writing and performing the songs did to Angela Correa. The difficulty is that the songs are so intense and personal, they swamp and eventually submerge the listener in the anguish, it all becomes just too much. Correatown began life as a collection of one-take demos, recorded as they happened. Producer Gregory Page was so impressed he decide to add some colour, it is Angela Correa's - and our - great good fortune that he did little more than add the subtlest of shades. Correatown contains the bare floorboards of songs and, if artist or producer ever stray from that ethos, then they will be making a grave mistake. Correa possesses a voice that seems permanently on the edge of breakdown and the sparsity of the accompaniments merely serves to highlight its fragility. Perhaps it's a cumulative effect but from Pinwheels on, the songs seem to draw ever closer, an already intense album becomes almost impenetrable. Quite where Angela Correa sits in the gallery of musicians is pretty much a matter of personal perception. If she's a folk singer then she's the darkest folk singer you'll have heard for a while and if she's a country artist then she mines depths that even three chords and a truth rarely manage. But whichever genre you choose to place her in, one thing is certain, you'll never have heard anything quite like her before. As Correatown moves unstoppably on, a feeling of intrusion creeps in as if you are overhearing someone's private and intimate conversation and human nature being what it is, that makes Correatown a magnetic listen, almost imperceptibly you become enmeshed in the album's bleakness. Correatown is an uncomfortable listen. How could it be otherwise when its author exposes all her trails and tribulations so completely. However it is also an album you'll never ever forget." - 7/10 AMERICANA UK JULY 2005

"There's an inescapably seductive quality to Angela Correa's songs; despite the fact that every song she writes is downtempo and melancholy, she has produced forty-five minutes of mellowness rather than full sedation. Correatown is ten beautiful, earthy tunes, stripped bare musically and emotionally, that trudge along at the pace of a wounded deer. Only Correa's endlessly soothing voice and the strength of her bittersweet songs allows her to avoid the pitfalls of a "downer" album.

Correa hails from San Diego, a town that boasts an impressive collection of singer-songwriters: Liz Janes, J Turtle, Castanets (Ray Raposa) and that Jason Mraz fellow all compete with her for coffee shop stage time. Maybe it's the fact that San Diego's weather is exactly the same every day, but all of these artists, Correa included, attack their music as if they're on the tail end of a vicodin bender. When you hear the droning organ on "Hardship to Be You", you'll realize that time simply isn't an issue for Correa. Similarly, "Mercurial Heart"'s sparse guitars and "Night Light"'s wispy vocals suggest a world where the seasons never change, the hours don't pass and the only causes for concern are heartache and depression -- two things Correa understands well." - SPLENDID EZINE MAY 2005

LIVE SHOW REVIEW: THE FOLD at TANGIER AUGUST 16th, 2005

"Folk singing down on your head / folk singing down on your head," Angela Correa crooned. Her lyrics summed up the night at the Los Angeles venue the Tangier fairly well. The dimly lit venue glowed like the skyline outside, and the audience took silent poses against the perimeter wall. Centered on the stage, Correa strummed her sunburst acoustic guitar and twisted her misty vocals like a young, soulful Neko Case, or a country-fried Chan Marshall. Confident in her Joan Jett tee and jeans, Correa's strength was her vocals: she kept the guitar work simple and true to her bluesy folk roots."

- WEST COAST PERFORMER MAGAZINE

More press quotes from her debut album, Red Room Songs:

The sparse, uncluttered arrangements; her edgy sometimes disturbing lyrics; & her tendency to write songs filled with pain & heartache are captivating." San Diego Troubadour, April 2003

Angela Correa plays the most delicate violence you've ever heard. Red Room Songs, the singer/songwriter's self-produced, self-released debut, is full of blood, ache, heartbreak and a knowing thoughtfulness that is reflected in every note of the singer's fluttering drawl. The CD spent weeks on KSDT radios top ten albums list, and still makes regular rotation... Correa is at once traditional and contemporary, visceral and cerebral. Her words are about sex and murder, and they are sung by a person who has hashed through these topics on an analytical level. - UCSD Triton, June 2003

Folky, country, indie ... whatever man, it's just plain beautiful. - Las Vegas City Life, June 2003

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