Catie Curtis Electrifies With Rykodisc's "crash Course'

NEW YORK-When Catie Curtis set out to record "A Crash Course In Roses," due Aug. 3 on Rykodisc, she chose to flesh out her signature folk sound with more contemporary and percussive rock elements. Initial response from radio and retail hints that the artist may soon enjoy her most commercially successful offering to date.
"It rocks just enough to be competitive, but it's still pure Catie," says Allison German, manager of Risk Discs, an indie outlet in Columbus, Ohio. "The first time I heard the cuts "Gave Me Love' and "Burn Your Own House Down,' I thought, "This is the record that will make her a star.' "
Donna Shomen, assistant music director at KXST Santee, Calif., agrees, adding that "she was clearly careful not to alienate the people who've been following her from the start. At the same time, I can easily hear several tracks from this album on the air."
For Curtis, the stylistic shift was organic. "I just found myself experimenting a lot and wanting to see how my thoughts would process through an electric guitar or a drum machine, instead of an acoustic guitar," she says.
"In many ways, this album brings me back to my childhood," Curtis adds. "I grew up on Motown. I wanted this to be the kind of energetic album you put into your Walkman and just roll with."
Rykodisc shipped the promo-only single "Burn Your Own House Down" to triple-A and college radio formats on July 19. "We're pleased with the feedback we're getting so far," says Troy Hansbrough, director of A&R at the label. "I think we have the potential to take her farther than she's gone before."
Curtis issued two critically lauded albums with the now-defunct Guardian Records: 1996's "Truth From Lies" and an eponymous disc in 1997. The latter set spawned the single "Soulfully," which had begun to build a base at triple-A and AC radio shortly before Guardian folded. The track was also featured in episodes of "Dawson's Creek" and "Chicago Hope." Hansbrough says Rykodisc is aggressively pursuing similar exposure for "A Crash Course In Roses."
Beyond that, the marketing plan for the album is low on frills and gimmicks. The label has created a cassette sampler that will be given away at various music festivals this fall, starting with the Newport Folk Festival, Aug. 8. Also, full-length CDs will be distributed to cafes throughout the U.S. via the Cafe Network.
"Of course, touring will be a key element of promoting this record," Hansbrough says, noting that Curtis will be opening Mary Chapin Carpenter's European tour this fall and headlining her own U.S. trek in December.
Produced by Ben Wisch, the set marks a minor musical departure in that Curtis recorded in her Boston home base with a cadre of longtime bandmates and friends -which she says was a "nice change from the process of going to L.A. and working with session players. There's nothing quite like making music with people you already know and love."
Among the players on "A Crash Course In Roses" are Morphine drummer Billy Conway, bassist Paul Bryan, guitarist Duke Levine, keyboardist Kenny White, and famed mandolin player Jimmy Ryan. Harmonies are provided by Carpenter, Jennifer Kimball, and Melissa Ferrick.
The loose, band-like setting makes for an album that unfolds like a live show-opening with the funk-fortified "Gave Me Love" with segues into haunting ambient pop ("Roses"), introspective strumming ("World Don't Owe Me Nothing"), and guitar-charged stomping ("Look At You Now"). The artist's material is published by Watch Tower Music (ASCAP).
"I listen to these songs, and I'm filled with tremendous pride," says Curtis, who is managed by Gold Mountain's Tim Bennett and booked by Monterey Peninsula Artists. "It was tough going for a little while there. But this label feels like home, and having the complete freedom to make the kind of music I want is an incredible gift. I couldn't be happier right now."