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Thanks to Memphis in May and Reverbnation, I’ll be playing on the Bud Light Stage on Saturday, May 4, 2013!  Come on out and join the fun!  and stay tuned for more details…

Join Beale Street Music Festival’s 2013 Lineup

Genre: Alternative, Blues, R&B/Soul, Rock and Americana
Location: Memphis, TN

The iconic Beale Street Music Festival once again will be showcasing the finest talent in music on May 3-5, 2013 with over 100,000 music fans from throughout the United States and around the world in attendance. The festival regularly draws music lovers from all 50 states and on average a dozen or more countries around the globe. This year, the Beale Street Music Festival is opening up one slot to the most talented ReverbNation artist with five runner-up’s receiving a three day pass to the festival.

With five stages of rock & roll, blues, R&B/soul, alternative and new rock, the Beale Street Music Festival plays host to the legends and  leaders in the industry. It’s not unusual to see such legendary but diverse performers as Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, John Lee Hooker, Mumford & Sons, ZZ Top, Ray Charles, Buddy Guy, Kid Rock, Willie Nelson, Foo Fighters, Cee Lo Green and Mavis Staples sharing the same stage.

Last year’s line-up included Janes Addition, My Morning Jacket, Florence + The Machine, Wiz Khalifa, The Civil Wars, Primas, Coheed and Cambria, Kenny Wayne Shepard and many other talented acts.

Before we bid adieu and say good riddance to 2011, here’s a pair of LL recommended CDs we managed to misplace but were pleased to rediscover in the (St. Nick) of time. A pair of singer/songwriters who released top shelf records during the year. And both of whom should make their presence felt in 2012.
RENEE WAHL’S bio may be all over the map but her songwriting ability is instantly impressive.
She’s probably regarded an alternative country artist, though there are frequent elements of straight rock in a number of tunes she either wrote or co-wrote with partner Roger Prescott.
Wahl is totally comfortable mixing and matching styles, from the record’s dynamite opening track “On Something New” to the rock-a-billy twang of “Heartbreak Thing.” In between, she goes for the jugular on the radio-friendly “Keeping You For Mine” and explores a bummed relationship on “Roses Are Blue.”

– Rich Gibson, The Times Leader (Dec 16, 2011)

http://www.timesleaderonline.com/page/content.detail/id/535416/Left-Lane–Zoe-Muth–Renee-Wahl.html?nav=5014

Every once in awhile it seems out of no where an artist comes along and unexpectedly knocks you right out of your boots. Renée Wahl is that performer, with her latest release, “Cumberland Moonshine”. She has made a home in numerous places and finally landed in Nashville, TN where she is giving all the talent there a run for their money.

This CD is 12 tracks of perfection. From beginning to end, it starts off wonderful and finishes outstandingly awesome. It is difficult to have a CD these days with this many songs on it and have every single one of them stand out above the one before it. They are catchy, hooky and have a familiar vibe. Probably the most radio friendly CD I have heard in a long time.

Renée has a knack for writing. She knows how to tell a story that leaves nothing to your imagination and draws you into her world; and trust me, you so want to be there. Vocally she has a subtle country twang that rings with power and conviction. The song, “Around” is one of my favorites. It sticks in your head and you can’t help but singing it over and over long after it ended. It is one of many cleverly articulate tunes amongst the group.

There are so many cool things on this CD it would be difficult to sum it up in a few paragraphs. There are not enough words in the dictionary that would describe the greatness. Renée Wahl has come to play and she does it quite well. I do not think your musical catalog is complete until you have, “Cumberland Moonshine” in it. Buy it, and sit back and enjoy.

Rebecca Hosking – hoskingrebecca@gmail.com

[Rating: 5/5]

http://skopemag.com/2011/11/08/renee-wahl-cumberland-moonshine

“Alternative country is such a wide and varied subgenre that to call Renee Wahl an alternative country artist tells you almost nothing about her sound. You have neotraditionalists…, cowpunk artists…, bands with more of an alternative pop sound…, [and artists] who are alternative because they sing about subjects that aren’t considered mainstream or just haven’t met mainstream success yet, artists like Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, and Gillian Welch. Renee Wahl fits more into this category than any other. Wahl keeps it simple as a Nashville singer/songwriter, creating rootsy country music that actually sounds like country music. Cumberland Moonshine isn’t your run-of-the-mill modern pop country. It’s not rock and roll with a twang in the voice. What it is is a modern document of an art form slowly being choked off by an image of country that has been popularized by the modern music business. Wahl cuts through the layers of hype and gives us a damn good record.”

“’On Something New’, Renée Wahl 2011Candy Says: The featured track reminds me a little of Emmylou Harris circa Elite Hotel era, take that as a positive as Renee stamps her own mark on the music. That’s only one dimension of her, there is a lot more and you would do well to check out the album Cumberland Moonshine if this song grabs you.”

– Beehive Candy, Beehive Candy (Mar 13, 2011)

“Renée Wahl – “Keeping You For Mine” [on “Cumberland Moonshine”] The scorned lover is a classic figure in country music. Renee Wahl takes this archetype and plays with it a bit. I don t want to give anything away, but keep your ears open at the chorus, and you ll see what I mean. The song gets a beautifully rendered spooky vibe. On Cumberland Moonshine, the twang in Renee Wahl s voice comes and goes. It s not an affectation; it s just a tool that Wahl uses to get the emotion of her songs across, and she has others. She can go from the sweetness of a Dolly Parton to almost the sharp tone of a Maria McKee, and Wahl uses this expressive range perfectly, giving each song what it needs. The music has rockabilly accents, and even a bluesy flavor in places, but it is unmistakably country.”