10 years of waiting for...Dawn Langstroth

Dawn Langstroth new album "Highwire" will be released September 25th, 2009.

A decade is a longtime for anyone to wait for the release of a debut album. In the case of Dawn Langstroth it was a wait that was necessary for her to grow as an artist in order to produce "Highwire", her album releasing nationwide on September 25th, 2009.

Too be honest, it wasn't until a couple months ago that Dawn came upon my music radar, and that was purely through the use of social media and hearing about her on Twitter. Natural curiosity forced me to discover her website and realized she had a lot of talent. Further research on her YouTube channel, and listening to her EP's led to an appreciation of her as a talented singer/songwriter.

The fact that she is so accomplished in another artistic endeavour, makes her credability as an artist skyrocket, literally. Through developing passions outside of music, Dawn has used the past years to create paintings and artworks of gallery quality (http://www.dawnlangstroth.com/art/). The fact that she could easily forge a career based on her talents in either artistic or musical field is astonishing.

It is wonderful in this day and age to have an artist/musician, take the time to develop a musical career through performing, touring, and working with other contemporary artists to hone her craft. Dawn has done this in spades, and over the past 6 years has focused on her songwriting abilities as she has worked with David Martin, Ron Sexsmith, Matthew Gerrard, and Christopher Ward among many others.

She's managed to hone her musical chops and spread her name playing in front of audiences in Vancouver and Victoria, before a cross Canada tour with the Rankin family in 2007, in support of her self-titled 5 song EP. At the time, her sound which could be described as a pop, roots, country singer, however, a lot of maturity in her musical style has come since.

Following that successful tour, she collaborated with Grammy winning producer/engineer George Massenburg (Dixie Chicks, Chantal Kreviazuk, James Taylor, etc.) to work on her 2nd EP entitled "No Mercy", which was released in April 2008. Her maturity is heard through her music in the developing sound that is a hybrid of many styles (pop, country, jazz, indie rock, etc.). It's a fresh sound that is organically melds her voice and lyrics to the eclectic sounds of the band.

It is through her effort over the years, that we the listeners experience the progressive depth in her vocals and musicianship contained in her debut album. Her powerful yet sweet sounding voice automatically draws the listener into music. Furthermore, the lyrics of the songs are quite thoughtful and make you want to reflect upon it in repeated listenings.

In retrospect, much like a fine vintage wine takes a long time to mature and improve upon its' quality over many years, that is much like the artistic development and musical quality of Dawn Langstroth, which finally brings us her long awaited debut album, "Highwire". So, was it worth wait for Dawn's album? You bet, so go out there and pull out one of your best vintage wines and pop in her CD and celebrate a Canadian musician on the rise....Dawn Langstroth.

Listened to 3 limited songs of hers available on the internet, and reviewed them briefly here.

Dark & Twisted: A dark vibe & atmosphere, which builds to a crescendo using a blend of eastern & western instruments to add a distinct hybrid sound. Just nice touches of fills & slide riffs that add density to a great song. Dawn's vocals are rich with meaning as lyrics tell of some pains & hurts. Powerful song.

Highwire Heart: This song show's Dawn's vocal range as she can hit those high notes, and with a sweetness in her voice too. Highwire Heart is a ballad geared to listen to her vocals, and the soft low backing vocals.

New York: New York is a swing jazzy number with bounce and lots of life. The background piano keys bring a lot of fun to this song, and you can't forget the catch hook/chorus that just draws you in. The storytelling in the lyrics through Dawn's expressive yet subtle singing, make this song a treat. Let me add that the production/engineering quality on all 3 tracks is absolutely professional quality and outstanding (way to go George Massenburg!)

Stay tuned for an exclusive interview next week with Dawn Langstroth on the eve of the release of her debut album "Highwire" on September 25th 2009.

For more info:

Dawn Langstroth Official Website: http://www.dawnlangstroth.com/

Dawn Langstroth Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dawnlangstrothmusic

Dawn Langstroth YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/DawnLangstroth

Dawn Langstroth Twitter: http://twitter.com/dawnlangstroth

"Where Were You?" (Live @ Massey Hall, Toronto. February 2, 2007)