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Read the Review at Take Effect

9/10

A renaissance woman with an impressive resume in and out of music, though Nashville’s Renee Wahl has spent plenty of time with physics, the Air Force and teaching, she’s also highly skilled at playing Americana music with the perfect balance of grit and gorgeousness.

The sophomore album starts with the dark and raw “Cut To The Bone”, which sets the tone for the remainder of the album, as “Cold Day In Memphis” gets closer to country sounds with spectacular singing, while “Me Before You” finds the songstress getting near indie-folk territory with brushed percussion and warm, ballad like melodies.

The middle of the album brings the lush, rustic, twang ideas of “Temptation”, the album highlight, “From Here To There”, which moves with an emotive spirit and beautiful interplay between the band, and one of Wahl’s most forthright tracks, “Meds”, which takes nods to classic country with somewhat humorous wordplay.

Wahl ends strong with the soulful and cautious “Six Days Til Sunday”, the introspective “In The Field” and she exits on the playful indie-rock influenced “What You Need”.

A very heartfelt, open and personal installment of tunes, Wahl’s in great company with her all star band, and the songs here unfold with much power, sincerity and an adventurous quality and will undoubtedly make this one of the year’s best records.

Travels well with: Rosanne Cash– The River & The Thread; Neko Case– Middle Cyclone

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News

Read at Americana Highways

If you haven’t been paying attention there is renaissance of recognition sweeping the music world and trust me you do not want to miss it.  Artists like Brandi Carlisle, Margo Price, Lilly Hiatt etc are making artistic statements through some of the most compelling albums on the market.  Thankfully this club still has room for more members and I would like to sing the praises and nominate Renee Wahl for immediate inclusion. Her stunning new album Cut to the Bone (Double R Records) stands as a testament to how hard work, inspiration and sheer talent still mean something in our short attention span, style over substance kinda world.

Wahl delivers a career defining moment with Cut to the Bone, out this Friday, March 15th. Helmed by guitarist Stuart Mathis (Lucinda Williams, Wallflowers) and recorded with an ace band featuring Ron Eoff on bass, Bill Livsey on keys and longtime friend and bandmate David Strayer on drums, the album crackles, barely able to contain the energy emanating from every track.  The album boasts nine songs, all but “From Here To There” were penned by Wahl (it was written by Brian Langlinais along with Randy Sitzler and Drew Nelson) and after the last note fades away you immediately feel the need to listen to it all over again. The lead track “To the Bone” sounds like if you took a film noir and wrung the darkness and suspense out of it and turned it into a song. Her voice is inviting and warning at the same time.  The song instantly draws you in with its pounding drums and masterful guitar work not to mention the subject matter. “To the Bone” is the perfect song to open this collection and it stands as an invitation to what comes next.

I’ve had the pleasure of hearing some of these songs live and “Cold Day in Memphis” has remained a personal favorite since the first time I heard it. The guitar part almost comes across as a duet, with Mathis delivering standout moment after standout moment.  The mood and distinct images Wahl conjures up are so real you can almost feel the chill in the air. “Temptation” is a sultry, sexy tease and the guitar twang shows up at the exact right moments. I could easily see Tarantino using this song or better yet, building an entire film around it.  “Meds” will hit home for many and it is a staggeringly honest, yet somehow humorous look at needing help.  I can’t imagine it was easy to write, not to mention the guts it takes to play it live in front of an audience. Besides her songwriting, Cut to the Bone serves as a showcase for Wahl’s incredible voice.  No song better illustrates her range and power than “Six Days Til Sunday”. The instrumentation takes a back seat and really lets her voice captivate and capture you.  Warning – This is one of those songs that will absolutely knock you over when you see her live.

Renee Wahl has arrived and her impact should be felt immediately. Her songs are uncompromising and never pander. The record is produced in such a way that the players can play, taking moments to shine all the while keeping the spotlight firmly trained on Wahl. This is a big record and Renee rises to the challenge of delivering something compelling and fresh at the same time. Fully realized, Cut to the Bone has already made my top 10 for 2019 and I hope it will make your year end list as well.

– Jason Davidson

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Read Original at Go See Live Music

Renee Wahl has released her new LP Cut To The Bone, and it is something to behold. Passionate lyrics pulled from places that we tend to avoid, celebrates a life lived well. The LP features nine new tracks produced by Stuart Mathis (The Wallflowers, Lucinda Williams). Previously fans have heard “To The Bone” and “From Here To There.” Find the album below.

“Since music is physics, I see things from another perspective — from songwriting, composition and even how my instruments and equipment works,” Wahl said to Wide Open Country. “People think of science as very straight and narrow, but Einstein said ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge,’ and I find that to be so very important, to be creative in science. If you’re just following a blueprint, how do you create something new?” Cut To The Bone features brooding rockers, road-worn ballads, and even an old western-style humorous, yet unflinching tribute to mental health treatment called “Meds.”

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Read at Country Music Views

I listen to a lot of music and it’s rare that I come across a release quite like Renee Wahl’s Cut To The Bone. The first thing that I recognized was Wahl’s vocal abilities. It was easy to tell that she is a great singer with a wide vocal range/ That powerful voice has the ability to take the listener virtually anywhere and feel anything. There are songs that may make you smile and there are songs that are likely to make you cry.

The songs on the CD are special. They are deep and emotional. The songs on the CD are very well-written with melodies that only enhance the lyrics to make them even more emotional. Her band, The Sworn Secrets, are clearly first-rate musicians.

There is a song on the CD called “Meds” and it’s a song that Wahl has said was hard for her to share with the world. One of the reasons for that is the song reveals what medications she has been on and how they have impacted her. I am so happy that she found the courage to record this song because it is a very important song that could potentially help so many people. There are many people who have to take medications in order to live heathy, productive lives. Sometimes, it’s not easy to find the medication that works best for a patient without a lot of side effects. An honest song like this lets people know that they are not alone. It can be helpful for some people to know there are others out there who are going through the same thing.

“Me Before You” and “Temptation” are two of my other favorite tracks. It’s so difficult to pick a favorite from an album like this because it is such a solid CD.

Rick Amburgey is an experienced journalist and a country music fan. He can be contacted on Twitter at @ViewsCountry.

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Read at Spill Magazine

Country-Americana singer-songwriter Renée Wahl gently brushes the sensitivity of her fans with her latest heart-opening album titled Cut to the Bone.

The Nashville-based artist unleashes the power of her feminine vocals in a beautiful assemblage of country tempos provided by her band, The Sworn Swords. In heart-to-heart songwriting, Renée Wahl reads through the pages of her personal diary to present an intimate window into her afflicted soul.

Though the instrumentals are not extraordinary, the simplicity and directness lend an authenticity to Wahl’s voice.

The first piece on the album, “To the Bone”, is the prototype of her artistic intent to strip away the musician and physics genius we know and present us with the real Renée Wahl. While achieving scientific accomplishments in the past, she is now opening up about her personal experiments with medications in the heartfelt “Meds”, and the distances of love in “From Here to There”. 

Cut to the Bone follows Renée Wahl’s intimate life journey, and in its sentimental significance proves that it is not all rocket science.

8/10

– Ellie Hristova

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Read Here at the Country Standard Time

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Renee Wahl cites The Beatles as her musical inspiration but it is the sound of Rosanne Cash that permeates her second full-length release. There is a recurring theme of persevering through adversity as with “Me Before You” in which self absorption in the past (“Always thinking ’bout myself/No thought of anybody else”) transitions to motherly devotion (“Never thought I’d see a time/Five tiny fingers holding on to one of mine”). Similarly “What You Need,” which features a vocal most reminiscent of Cash, finds Wahl displaying a sense of resolve in the aftermath of a failed relationship (“Yeah I stay here and take it/I’ve been the strong one before”).

Two of the stronger tracks deal with mental health and substance abuse. “Meds” takes a darkly humorous approach with a timeline of a treatment options (“We tried me on Zoloft to get me off Paxil/But I lost my libido what a disaster/Then we tried Wellbutrin but that made me too fun/Remeron worked wonders, but I put on a ton”). “Six Days Til Sunday” has a gloomier take with the acknowledgement of a rough start to the week (“Cocaine for breakfast and it’s only Monday”) and a foreboding of the future (“These bitter pills are so hard to swallow/They make it so hard to know which path to follow”).

Other highlights are “In The Field (Where You Died),” a seeming nod to Wahl’s past service in the military, and the edgy title track in which Wahl cautions a grifter to keep his distance (“I’ll string you up and strip you down/Tie you to the horse you rode into town”). Produced by Stuart Mathis (Lucinda Williams, The Wallflowers) the backing is solid throughout particularly with Mathis on guitar and multi-instrumentalist Billy Livsey (keyboards, strings). With Wahl’s strong vocals and thoughtful compositions, this is an entertaining listen.

– Robert Wooldridge

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Once again, thank you to the Alternate Root for adding us to their Top 10 Songs for the week of March 20, 2019.

Check it out here

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Representing the city of Rhuddlan, located in North Wales about one hour west of Liverpool, please welcome The Goat Roper Rodeo Band in the #1 spot as they amble down “Main St.” from their recently released third album, Tall Grasson the weekly Top Ten for Wednesday March 27, 2019. Adding more four-legged band names to the list, Old Pup are on the chart with “No Place to Fall” from their Junk Drawer Daydreamsrelease. Daptone Records’ The Budos Band is on the Top Ten this week with a single, “Arcane Rambler”, from their upcoming (April 12, 2019) album, V, joining a single release from Anna Tivel (“Worthless”) from her album, The Question, due April 19, 2019. Releasing a double-sided single, filed medic is on our list with the music conference anthem, “used 2 be a romantic”, a track from his upcoming (April 19, 2019) album, fade into the dawn. Tennessee is providing “Temptation” from Nashville’s Renee Wahl, Emily Duff greets with a “Hallelujah Hello”, Karyn Oliver sifts through memories in “I Was a Town”, and J Lee and the Hoodoo Skulls lay down a resume on a fat Blues beat with “2 Bit Lovers”. Kevin Daniel places an order with “Pour Me a Drink” as he takes a seat at the bar on the weekly Top Ten for Wednesday March 20, 2019.
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