Mary Bragg--Tattoos and Bruises CD Review and Giveaway!

 

Mary Bragg--Tattoos and Bruises

Genre: Country

I want to start out by saying that I am not a fan of country music, however, I love this album!  It sure made me re-think.  There have always been some country songs that I really liked--heck, even know all the lyrics too.

I have listened to, and enjoyed, this album many times since receiving it for review.

Song list:

1.  How and Why

2.  When Your Heart Belongs To Another

3.  Tattoos and Bruises

4.  Leave Tonight

5.  Hanging On The Wheel

6.  The General

7.  Gone

8.  Wildflower

9.  Morning Lover

10.  Hurricane 

CD includes insert with lyrics to all 10 songs.  I love when they come with the lyrics so that I can follow along and learn the words quicker.

Enjoy this video from Mary Bragg's Youtube Channel



Artist Bio:

Bio -

Born in Swainsboro, Georgia, singer-songwriter Mary Bragg lived in a number of Southern musical capitals—Athens, Atlanta, Nashville—before settling in New York in 2004. Her music is consequently a seamless hybrid of her Southern Americana roots and the downtown New York singer-songwriter community of which she has become a key member. Lee Alexander, one of the pioneers of this scene, produced Bragg’s forthcoming album, Tattoos and Bruises, and together they recruited a number of their friends and frequent collaborators to contribute. Having led a highly successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the recording, Bragg will release it June 7.

Writing for Tattoos and Bruises began in late 2008, continued during a residency at New York City’s great singer-songwriter launching pad, The Living Room, and was completed just moments before the final tracks were recorded. Writing or co-writing all ten of the album’s songs, Bragg invited Alexander to co-write four of them, while three more of her favorite songwriters, Adam Levy (another longtime collaborator of Norah Jones and Amos Lee), Colin McGrath, and her bassist/husband, Jimmy Sullivan, made additional co-writing contributions. The ten tracks that comprise the final album were recorded and mixed over 14 days at Jones’ East Village studio, The Coop, with Tom Schick (Wilco, Rufus Wainwright) engineering and co-mixing.

Backing Bragg on the album is the same accomplished band of players who perform in her live shows, including Rich Hinman, Steve Elliot and Adam Levy (guitars), Jordan Perlson and
Brian Wolfe (drums), Jimmy Sullivan (bass), Mike Cassedy (piano, organ) and Marika Hughes (cello).

While she has drawn comparisons to Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin—and does indeed bear some stylistic resemblances to them—Bragg comfortably inhabits her unique fusion of American musical forms on Tattoos and Bruises: folk, rock, pop, and country. The album’s title track reveals the level of maturity she has reached as a songwriter and performer: the song not only showcases her voice, but is also a study in economy and restraint. The material ranges in mood, from the surrender of “How and Why,” to the upbeat, flirtatious shuffle of “When Your Heart Belongs to Another.”

Tattoos and Bruises is Bragg’s third studio album. It follows Sugar (2007), which was produced by Darius Jones. Sugar has earned Bragg several industry nods including an Honorable Mention in the International Songwriting Competition and feature placements in the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Emerging Artists Showcase) and the Wildflower! Festival, where she was a finalist in the Performing Songwriter Competition.

Bragg is especially beloved for her live performances. In addition to a record release residency at The Living Room in June, she will tour the U.S. in support of the album. An itinerary will be announced soon.

 

 

On to the giveaway!  Sneak Attack Media has graciously offered to give one of my lucky blog readers a copy of Tattoo and Bruises.

 

Rules:

Giveaway starts Thursday June 23, 2011 and ends Thursday July 7, 2011 9 pm CST.

Open to U.S. Residents

Winner will be chosen using random.org

Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or another winner will be chosen.

I must have a way to contact you if you win.  If your email is not in your profile, include it in at least one of your comments.

Leave separate comments for each entry.

Ways to enter:

 

1.  Visit http://www.marybragg.com/ 

comment on something you learned on her website.

 

2.  Follow Mary Bragg on twitter 

 

3.  Like Mary Bragg on facebook 

 

4.  Follow Marsha's Spot with google friend connect.

 

5.  Like Marsha's Spot on facebook

 

6.  Subscribe to Marsha's Spot by email

 

7.  Enter one of my other giveaways

 

8.  List a giveaway on my ongoing giveaways linky page

 

9.  Share this giveaway on your blog, facebook, twitter, gather, etc.  (This can be done up to 5 times during the giveaway for up to 5 entries total)

 

Good luck to all!

 

Disclaimer:  I rec'd a copy of Mary Bragg's Tattoos and Bruises from Sneak Attack Media for the purpose of my review.  I was not otherwise compensated and all opionions are my own.  A copy of the CD for the winner is also being provided by Sneak Attack Media.