2)
"Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen! The rapturous, sultry, blazing
whirlwind known as Cathy Jean is back and, as always, she means business!
Once again, she is deciding to treat us to her views on life, love, and the
pursuit of happiness with all prisoners taken! As you will see, even one of
the bastations of Baltimore suburbs, Glen Burnie, is not safe from her way
with words!
"Seriously though, Cathy Jean’s CDs are always a pleasure to listen to
simply because she utilizes a whole gamut of styles that seem to fit under
the blues palette but have that extra something that makes her tunes
different.
"Listen, for example, to the song called 'Austria.' Percussion slices its
way through the begining only to have a cello provide a Middle Eastern
melody as accompaniment. However, the song takes place in Vienna (hence the
cello), and Cathy Jean is singing the blues. But, her woe is because she’s
fallen in love with the man who brought her there and she didn’t want that
to happen. Musically, it’s intriguing to hear because there’s a lot of
discordant playing between the cello and percussion but it works!
"'It’s On Me' is a wonderfully funny tirade against family members who just
want to hit up Cathy Jean for some cash. They just don’t seem to realize
that she is not made of the green stuff and, in fact, is struggling
herself. A mean blazing harp courtesy of Mark Wenner blows on top of the
whole enchilada.
"'Your One And Only' is all sultry and sass. Over a shuffling beat, Cathy
Jean coos that she is READY to be her man’s sole honey. Again, Mark
Wenner’s harp wails into the Slim Harpoish tune. Actually, whether
intentionally or not, this song reminds me very emphatically of the Stones’
version of 'Hip Shake' down to the harp licks. Despite that, it does start
off the CD with a passionate beginning.
"Oh, yes--the Glen Burnie ode is a different cat altogether. 'The Kids From
Glen Burnie' is a spooky recitation of things that go bump in the night and
other horrors that await you in a haunted house. Incidentally, the title of
the CD refers to the house on Marshall Road that Cathy Jean wants to
destroy. Backing up all this mysterious mayhem is a cool 50s jazz ensemble.
Piano and trumpet underline the terror that hits you like one of those film
noir dramas. There’s a nice juxtaposition of lyrics and instruments.
"Finally, 'Strut' brings to mind the late 1960s with its opening blast of
guitar and horns and the telling lyrics of a bluesman wearing a plumed hat
and boots. Even though she describes him as a Southern man, I was thinking
of Jimi Hendrix with that description and the powerful compression of the
wah-wah guitar that sounded throughout.
"The rest of the CD is just fine, displaying even more of Cathy Jean’s
swagger. It’s a lot of fun to listen to and to get caught up with her
stories. Once again, she has delivered the goods with no disaster in
sight!"
--Reprint of reviewer Karen Liebowitz, Music Monthly Magazine, May 2002
3) Review by Joe Ferguson, TexasFlood Internet Radio...
4)
"BUENO! Cathy must feel happy with the musical outcome, because it
is very professional and enthusiastically performed. A wide range of
musical styles can be found on this CD which reflect Cathy's passion
for music. She has a wide range of musical influences from pop music to
funk, ballad and contemporary blues. A powerful but, at the same time,
elegant CD where Cathy Jean's attractive wrapping voice will certainly
satisfy all people who buy the CD. VERY GOOD!"
--Vincente Zumel, 'La hora del Blues' Radio Show, Barcelona, Spain,
March 2002
5)
"Let's begin with the sleeve & booklet on this one, why? Coz it's
the first thing about this album that hits you when you first pick it
up...here is the SEXIEST CD cover you are likely to clap eyes on for a
good while, respect both to Cathy Jean (for scrubbing up so well) and to
Tony Ward for the lens work. To business then and on with the show...
The first track is a rockin' Blues boogie and, as with all 15 tracks
offered, is a Cathy Jean original composition. The proceedings continue
in more subdued yet no less intense manner with a collection of songs
which are beautifully crafted and delivered yet stray somewhat from the
Blues idiom. Shades of Carol King weave in & out of these numbers with
lyrics crafted from real-life scenarios, and that is to CJ's credit.
A smooth after-dinner swing-jazz style is used here to good effect
behind lyrics which go: '...I'm in the bedroom with the ugly pink shag
rug. Spiders are on me the curtains are crawling with bugs. The walls
cave in and I'm suffocated in mud. I'm in the kitchen by the awful custom
cork bar. Blood is running out of the cracked orange cookie jar...'
Hmmmm.... The overall feeling is one of being privileged to be let into
Cathy Jean's innermost thoughts and to be invited to an 'under-the-skin'
episode complete with a gaggle of excellent musicians."
--Reprint of reviewer Judge Jones, BluesFreePress, United Kingdom,
January 2002
6)
"If the big heels and the high-production fashion values have you skeptical
about this lady, keep reading. Purring and snarling through 'Your One And
Only,' crowing danger through the tasty acoustic gem 'Behind My Back,'
double-daring her way through the buoyant 'Purple Tattoos,' Cathy Jean has
a natural gift for pairing her formidable voice with some pretty mean
presence and solid song-writing (not a single cover on the entire CD).
Blues fans will want to skip string-coated pop fare like 'You Don’t Know,'
but most of the rest is great stuff--seductive, tough and convincing,
backed by a terrific group. Excellent and recommended."
--Reprint of reviewer Dave Kirby, Blues Access Magazine, December 2001
7)
"USA - CATHY JEAN: 'Marshall Road Apocalypse'
CJ9900
"What have we here? Cathy Jean decorates the cover of her latest CD wearing
a short blue dress, high heels and wild hair, looking both sexy and
vulnerable. It's an unashamedly blatant act of using sex to sell a CD, and
she doesn't need to do it as she has the voice and the songs. In fact she
writes all but one of the 15 tracks here herself and co-writes the other
one.
"A number of different musical styles are in evidence, from the boogie riff
rocker 'Your One And Only', through the curious jazz tinged 'The Kids From
Glen Burnie,' to the rocky 'Dirty One' and the Eastern tinged sounds of
'Austria.'
"It's Cathy Jean's smokey voice that immediately draws you in, especially
on the opening 'Your One And Only' and the slow 'Behind My Back.' On
'Kauai' she sounds more like Sheryl Crow. She has surrounded herself with
top class musicians, the core of which, on guitar, bass, drums and keys
know how to rock with her, like on 'Call It (Quits).' With so many good
songs early on it was perhaps too much to expect that standards would be
maintained through 15 songs and, in fairness, the second half of the album
doesn't carry the same punch, the exception being the slow lumbering
'Prophet.' A good album nonetheless."
--Chris Simmonds, "Blues Matters!" magazine
"Take 2: USA - CATHY JEAN: 'Marshall Road Apocalypse'
Whew, we got the special edition CD at the office with 16 page booklet with
2 'edgy-y' photos included that do not appear in the copy you’ll get from
Amazon.com. What can we tell you beyond the above? Well, here is a tortured
sounding woman working off her ills and frustrations and running amok.
Great CD, great music, not always Blues but her lyrics certainly are (and
there are driftings towards Sheryl Crow). There’s some easy listening tones
here to mix with the silk, and occasionally pained, voice that sometimes
hides the bitterness of the lyric which on reflection make them even more
hard hitting. Yep, I’ll recommend this one and will be playing it quite a
lot!"
--Caleb, "Blues Matters!" magazine
-- Preceding pair of reviews, for the next issue of "Blues Matters!"
magazine in Bridgend, England, E-mailed to Cathy Jean from Alan P., its
founder and editor, December 2001
8)
"I’ll try a translation of the review of 'Marshall Road Apocalypse' that
appeared in our newest issue of CONCERTO (but be warned of my English!):
'Marshall Road Apocalypse' is the third CD of Cathy Jean, a
singer/songwriter from Maryland that also plays an appealing guitar and -
by the way - doesn’t look bad either. The CD delivers a variety of styles
that make it exciting to listen to. You can hear 'simple' blues
arrangements as well as jazz flavoured songs like 'The Kids From Glen
Burnie' and even some funk ('Ms. Jeneration Hip Zone'). Cathy Jean’s vocals
are worth listening to, the backing band is professional with a good
handling of their instuments. Furthermore, Cathy Jean seems to have some
Austrian experience, according to the song 'Austria' (even if this song
sounds a little bit oriental). If you like good blues ballads, Cathy Jean
delivers the right stuff for your CD player."
--Frank Richter, CONCERTO Magazine, Vienna, Austria"
-- E-mailed from Frank Richter to Cathy Jean, December, 2001
9)
"Cathy Jean writes all 15 songs on her latest CD and with her raw vocals and
a band that hits all the right notes she is proving herself. The band is
made up of Keith Stafford on electric guitar, Wade Matthews on bass, Steve
Loecher on drums, Robert Jospe is a percussionist, Mark Wenner plays
harmonica, and much more. And, yes, Cathy is on guitar too.
"This CD has something for everyone. Some tunes are kind of jazzy, some
sound like they are in the Carribean, and others are bluesy. The opening
song is 'Your One And Only' a bluesy tune that is kinda sexy, with the help
of her band members. This should be a hit. Another rockin' blues tune is
the third cut 'Call It (Quits)' which is about, you guessed it, love gone
bad.
"For a girl from Baltimore she has got the blues and can set them into the
songs she writes."
--Reprint of reviewer Mike Zenner, The Wichita Blues Society Blues News,
September 2001, Volume 7, Issue 6.
10) Blues on Stage review by Dave "Doc" Piltz, August 2001...
11)
"Good Morning Cathy! The cover of the album, 'Marshall Road Apocalypse,'
says to me... 'I am 500% Woman and I will love you but if you cross me I'll
cut your dangly bits off if you mess me about!' Just my personal opinion
you understand. Now to the album, well what can I say it conjures up all
sorts of images! I love the line, 'I'm a cool cat with a little kink.'
'YOUR ONE AND ONLY'--has that Slim Harpo vibe going for it and is one of
those instantly catchy songs that run through your head and bug the heck
out of you so you have to go back and listen to it again and again!!! 'THE
KIDS FROM GLEN BURNIE'--now there is one dark and scary song with some
fantastic horn that would make most Jazz punters weep with envy. I would
love to have five minutes with you to find out where the lyrics for that
one came from! Such a dark and moody piece, I love it. 'DIRTY ONE'--just
when you think you have this album pegged this little beaut comes and
changes everything and gets you in the Hap-hap-happy vibe. I defy anyone
not to be tapping some extremity, if it ain't tappin it's fell off! Go
check! 'BEHIND MY BACK'--now we get to the real meat and bones of this
album. Feeling sorry for yourself when some swine has done the dirty on
you? This is the track for you. It's full of questions that can only lead
to hurt, more hurt and then pain city! The melancholy sound of the Hammond
organ coupled with the vocals make this a standout track for me. Nice!
Definitely the late night and Bourbon times. 'PROPHET'--a song about not
respecting yourself. Wow. Me likes this so, so much. I liked it so much it
got two plays in the same show. First time that's ever happened in J&B's
two years on the air! Such a simple sounding song. Bass, Vocals and Guitar
just goes to prove you don't need the big sounds to make a statement. Keep
simple but spectacular! I could go on and on about this album but the only
way to appreciate this gem is to buy the thing. May the album go platinum!
"Yours, Jim Moore, J&B Blues, Speysound Radio 96.6, Scotland"
-- E-mailed from Jim Moore to Cathy Jean, July, 2001
11)
"The music's great! Some of my favourite cuts are, for down right Pure Sex
Blues: 'Your One & Only,' 'Ms. Jeneration Hip Zone,' 'Dirty One,' and
'Strut' do it for me. The acoustic cuts 'Behind My Back' and 'Prophet' hit
the spot. 'You Don't Know' 'Get Me Out' and 'The Fabulous New Debbie Song'
are beautifully crafted and well executed songs. It's good to see Aussie
wine get a mention, thanks!...Without sounding too sexist, I was first
attracted to Cathy Jean from her shots in Living Blues. I could not wait to
get the mag to see what shots there were of her. I'm glad she had a
different photo in each issue. She's a 'real spunk'--that's Aussie for (I
don't know) beautiful, hot, sexy, a 10, take your pick. The fact that she
plays great guitar/writes songs and can sing is the icing, the strawberry
and the cream on the cake... It's really the music that's important, we
know that. The fact that it's Cathy Jean who is doing it makes it all the
better."
--Brett Parker, BluesBoxDownUnder Radio Show Host
-- E-mailed from Brett Parker (Australia) to Cathy Jean, July, 2001