Black Notebook by Anne Heaton

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- David Seitz, Prime CD & Producer (Richard Shindell, Suzanne Vega, Susan McKeown)

"The songs sound great! - I've been listening to the demo since yesterday and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. I love the production on "Spinning" and "Old Man by 21" sounds downright destined for film. Has kind of a Paula Cole (a la Harbinger) feel to it and I can SO hear it in a movie. From the sounds of it, you've hit the nail on the head. Damn fine job." -Kerry Bernard, Young Hunter Management

"I just got the CD and I'm listening to it now and it's absolutely wonderful!" - Cindy, Programmer WERS Boston Radio

"I loved Anne's record "Black Notebook" and wondered if she would live up to my expectations when I saw her perform live and she did. Anne is a terrific musician and her show was a total joy."

- Jonathan Horn, Entertainment Attorney, Grubman, Indursky & Schindler

Anne Heaton Bio:

The New Haven Advocate voted Heaton "Best Singer-Songwriter" of 2000 and The Boston Globe calls her "easily [one] of the area's most notable female singer-songwriters." Chris Smith, former editor for Performing Songwriter Magazine, writes "Heaton is one of the finest writers and performers I've come across in years - she is one of the standards by which I measure talent in the New York music community. That she is not on a major label is nothing short of criminal."

Heaton has performed as a solo artist, as a duo with guitarist Frank Marotta, Jr., and with her band at colleges, clubs, and festivals around the country such as Hamilton College, Yale University, Fez, Makor, Toad's Place, Schuba's Tavern, The Somerville Theatre, The Double Door, The Point, Club Passim, International Festival of Arts and Ideas, Ectofest, Northampton Music Festival, and The Rockrgrl Conference. Heaton has shared the stage with Jonatha Brooke, Ellis Paul, Melissa Ferrick, Dan Bern, Max Roach, Cliff Eberhardt, Beth Amsel and Sloan Wainwright.

During the summer of 1999, Heaton finished in the top 20 out of 800 entries in the Lilith Fair online competition. The following year, Heaton was invited to attend ASCAP's Advanced Songwriters' Workshop in New York City. In 2001, Heaton, as one of several up-and-coming performing New York area songwriters in the "Live from New York" show (which includes Edie Carey, Teddy Goldstein & Andrew Kerr), Heaton helped break attendance records at The Living Room, Club Passim and The Point. The "Live From New York" Group has more recently performed at The Somerville Theater, Noe Valley Ministry (San Francisco), and FEZ.

Heaton's music is subtly spun narratives set to catchy, often syncopated, melodies. According to Songwriters' Monthly (5/99), "Heaton's love for her craft and for her audience is apparent in every stage gesture, every funny aside, and every stanza of every song." "I've never seen an artist entrance a room of listeners the way Heaton does - she magically brings the listener to another level" (Brooke Primont, BMI). Heaton's charming stage presence has matured not only from the experience of performing her own songs but also from the experience of singing traditional spirituals and original jazz compositions on tour with legendary jazz drummer/composer Max Roach, performing to audiences of over 3,000 in London and Paris. Anne came to be a singer for Max Roach's tour by singing in a Gospel Choir in Harlem where all choir members were encouraged to learn early American song forms as well as classical pieces.

Tom Neff of Grassy Hill Concerts says "Heaton's bluesy piano folk has a unique slack-voweled, angular-melodied sound, while the lyrics explore a kind of blue-collar rapture I find very affecting." Terry McNamara of The Chicago Folk Alliance says "When Anne sings, she reminds me of a female Ray Charles."

Heaton's new songs are catchy soaring melodies with great emotional pull and smart lyrics. Her upcoming release Black Notebook, co-produced by David Seitz (Suzanne Vega, Susan McKeown), is backed by lush full-band textures (and often set to hypnotic hip-hop-like loops) and hosts an amazing line-up of musicians including drummer Shawn Pelton (The Saturday Night Live Band) and Michael Visceglia (Suzanne Vega).

To see Anne's notes on the record, visit the website. Enjoy!

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