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Hometown: Nashville, TN
Website: www.KristenCothron.com
Sounds Like: Amy Winehouse, Elvis Costello, Fiona Apple, The Pretenders
Genre: Alternative
Kristen's music is born from a dark Southern psyche charred by half-burned cigarette ash then soaked in sweet tea.
Kristen's musical career began early. She was onstage at 13, singing the standards, but at some point she dropped out of the jazz clubs, dropped out of Berklee College of Music, and was dropped onto the dim stages of the Nashville alternative scene, where her persona took shape, took a drag, slid into thigh-high boots, and then got fed-back and distorted through an amplifier. Kristen carries her jazz background the way a gunfighter carries a rosary. To Kristen, jazz is heritage. It is interweaved in her twisted roots, inseparable, but masked by the mysterious character that has grown out of it.
This transition is all documented in a series of recordings, beginning with Kristen's 2001 release Only Words. The metamorphosis completed with 2006's Love Letters From A Fool, which marked the beginning of her on-going collaboration with producer Ben Strano. This album kicks off with the explosive and moody single "Dangerous," a song which became Kristen's debut music video and signaled that a strong, strange, and sexy iconoclast had arrived to destroy and rebuild the temple of the female singer-songwriters.
Kristen builds further on this foundation with her latest, Show Me Where the Edge Is, a bold new work with Strano that showcases her expert songwriting alongside that of her strongest musical influence, Elvis Costello. Whether on the three Costello re-workings or her own originals, each of the 13 vocal takes is impeccable - Cothron is truly a singer's singer, equally at home nailing one-take vocals in the studio and entrancing live audiences. Producer Ben Strano says, "If I could only listen to (or record) one voice for the rest of my life... I'd want it to be Kristen. She sings so effortlessly that the barrier between what she sings and what she feels is non existent... a pure channel between emotion and voice that few if any can match. Normally a singer is hindered by what their voice will actually allow them to do. Kristen doesn't have this (seemingly mortal) problem."
For Kristen, Show Me Where the Edge Is also marks a daring comeback and evolution. After a serious car wreck turned her world upside down in 2008, she faced an unprecedented period of musical inactivity and self-doubt. For someone who often gigged 7 nights a week, the prospect of wiping the calendar clean was debilitating. True to form, Cothron came back swinging, building a new band around her and her trademark Telecaster, and pushing her art further than ever. With her renewed focus, she was able to turn the dark experience into the fire that fueled much of the writing for the new record. From "Edge" "To Edge" this is the work of someone who has seen the edge and declared no surrender...
“If there were ever a time and place for a revised, jazzier, The Jody Grind, Fiona Apple and Elvis Costello all wrapped into one album, it’s bound to be on the newest Kristen Cothron release, Show Me Where the Edge is…”
Bryce Harmon - Boro Pulse
“The entrancing music of Kristen Cothron is unlike any sound that we’ve heard. Her latest album contains beautiful melodies accompanied by her amplified and distorted voice. Deep and smooth, the cool jazz sound of “Maybe You” differs widely from “Edge,” an edgy, warped-yet-foot-tapping tune.”
Nashville Lifestyles Magazine
“The album is an experience; Cothron has the ability to make you feel like you are right there with her, as she takes you through her songs and experiences. Dynamic, intriguing, mesmerizing; Show Me Where The Edge Is has a little taste of everything. Effortlessly mixing genres in such a masterful and subtle way is just one of the many reasons Kristen Cothron is a true talent in a sea of artists striving to be heard. Overlooking this album would be a crime, so do yourself a favor and give it a listen today.”
Kerriann Curtis - ndie Music Reviewer
“Amazing, amazing sound. It’s a sound that’s almost better than sex.”
Nashville Hype
“Cothron’s latest release is a drop-to-your-knees sultry, soul-stealing 3-song, self-titled vinyl EP [digital download available with purchase]. You can enshroud yourself in the thick, soft fur of her sound and relish the dark comfort it offers.”
Allen Foster - Songwriter's Monthly
““...Cothron plays the role of the steely and unattainable temptress, and artfully so with a seductive-almost-racy style that maintains an air of class and sophistication...Cothron isn’t the first contemporary to take on jazz pop, but hers in genuine, not meant to be kitschy and probably the most authentic of its kind I’ve heard...””
Jessica Pace - The Murfreesboro Pulse
"Her vocals are somewhat affected – in true diva style – as she sashays through a dark tale of retribution and famous last words before stubbing her cigarette out on Diana Krall with 'Dark Side.'"
BluesBunny
“Tougher than Fiona Apple, edgier than Norah Jones, Cothron combines cabaret and indie rock as well as anyone since Elvis Costello.
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The Memphis Playbook
“Nothing foolish about this. Cothron has depth and an elegant beauty that flows smoothly and -seamlessly through each track. She exhibits passion and lust as if it is all she knows.”
The Leo
“Count me in!”
Music Row Magazine
“Have you been searching for music’s next bold bad girl? Cothron is the buried treasure you’re seeking. ”
Performing Songwriter Magazine
“With an amber, sultry tone and an expanded vocal range that she uses with dynamic subtlety, Cothron applies late-night jazz chops to contemporary adult pop. She's the rare young talent who cares more about expressing a mood and a story than simply showing off her voice.”
Michael McCall - The Nashville Scene
“Her hauntingly sultry voice meshes wondrously with fresh lyrical approaches and a knack for creating edgy pop songs with blues subtleties.”
Music Morsels (Atlanta, GA)
“Somewhere between Fiona Apple and PJ Harvey, Cothron's style and sound sits just waiting for takers.”
Velocity Weekly (Louisville, KY)
“Nothing foolish about this. Cothron has depth and an elegant beauty that flows smoothly and seamlessly through each track. She exhibits passion and lust as if it is all she knows.
”
The Leo (Louisville, KY)
