Mary Beth started singing at age 3 and playing the guitar at age 12. She was influenced by the rural farmlands and forests of her Wisconsin upbringing and the wide spectrum of music brought into the house by her 4 older siblings. It was the singer/songwriters of the 60's and 70's folk music that resonated and became the largest influence over time. Recently picking up the banjo, the world of bluegrass music and the vast array of new and old influences within this genre and roots music of blues and early jazz continue to expand her pallet. Her music reflects the beauty she finds in nature and the human spirit. The production on In My Right Mind was carefully chosen to reflect Mary Beth's stories.
Mary Beth's music is influenced by the rural farmland and forests of her Wisconsin upbringing and the Rocky mountains where she currently resides. Her musical influences began with the early folk music of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Kate Wolf, Judy Collins, Emmy Lou Harris, John Denver, Peter Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Dan Fogelberg, Gordon Lightfoot, and Simon and Garfunkel as well as the Beatles. The showtunes of Broadway and the singer/songwriters of the 90's including Nanci Griffith, Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo Girls, Richard Thompson, David Wilcox, Alison Krauss and Union Station band, Mary Black and the music of the Celtic Music of the British Isles helped to expand her influences. Her new found love of the banjo and the roots music of Appalachia and early country music offer a vast array of influences from the music of Nickel Creek, Infamous Stringdusters, Tim Obrien, Darrell Scott, Claire Lynch, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder to the instrumentation of the world class banjo players including Bela Fleck, The Kruger Brothers, Tony Trischka, Jayme Stone and Steve Martin.
| POSTED BY: disturbed3003 | POSTED ON: 15 Jan 2011 02:51 PM | ||
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The recently released CD, “In My Right Mind,” by talented vocalist Mary Beth Cross, is comprised of beautiful Contemporary Folk music. Cross creatively blends her well written original compositions with familiar standards throughout this album. The opener/title track, “In My Right Mind,” flows with a nice vibrant energy while Cross sings with a sweet and charming style. Cross takes her roots of living in the country and artistically writes some thought provoking lyrics as you can hear on the song, “Paint the Sky.” This song has some nice Country flavors with rootsy instrumentation. Her rendition of the classic song, “Amazing Grace,” is quite moving as she sings with a gentle and emotive tonality. You can also hear tones of Celtic ambiance collectively mixed with Country flair on this wonderful song. You will thoroughly enjoy the entertaining collection of Folk songs on the album, “In My Right Mind,” especially if you are a fan of Mary Chapin Carpenter.
-Diane and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team |
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| POSTED BY: xavierpersad | POSTED ON: 12 Jan 2008 02:10 PM | ||
“The Enchanted Highway” by Mary Beth Cross is an enticingly innovative acoustic country album with a Celtic folk and spiritual twist! Kicking off the journey down this highway is the nature-inspired title-track, which opens with a captivating arrangement of native drum and flute arrangements. It’s not long before listeners are introduced to Mary Beth's easy-going, pacifying vocal tone. Her unforgettable voice delivers a tranquil sense of comfort, which perfectly compliments the emotional mood of these tunes! “Stay” offers an insight into Mary Beth's compelling lyrical themes. Telling a story of the elation that comes from reuniting with an old friend, “Stay” is like most of the songs on this CD in that it recounts climatic life experiences and sacred moments. What’s more, every musical performance on this CD is bright, brilliant, and masterful! Shining production puts this CD on the list of must-haves! Fans of country, folk, acoustic, and spiritual music, take a trip down the “Enchanted Highway” today! -Xavier P. for RadioIndy.com |
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