Laura Cortese
&
The Dancecards
Laura Cortese has a vision for her band's sound: bold and elegant, schooled in the lyrical rituals of folk music and backed by grooves that alternately inspire Cajun two-stepping and rock-n-roll hip swagger. It's appropriate then that the quartet, featuring Cortese, call themselves Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards.
Since the release of Cortese's most recent album, Into the Dark (2013), Valerie Thompson (cello/vox), Jenna Moynihan (fiddle/vox) and Mali Obomsawin (bass/vox) have paired their sophisticated string arrangements and rich vocal harmonies to Cortese's poignant and powerful singing. Seeing the quartet on stage, you get the sense that they might snap some fiddle strings or punch a hole in the bass drum. This is post-folk that seriously rocks. True to their adventurous spirit and wide-ranging influences, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards tour internationally, communicating the depth and soul of American roots music, using their own uniquely modern voices.
"Technically brilliant yet warmhearted fiddling - sprinkled with urbane splashes off cool jazz and hot pop."
Boston Globe January 2004
Cortese's mix of modern and traditional styles creates an explosive sound that favors melody and rhythm over overtly technical performances. The momentum in songs like "Blow the Candle Out" propels the listener to a giddy plane where dancing is mandatory.
John Wenzel~The Denver Post
Ambition often follows talent, and Laura Cortese has an embarrassment of both. Her open-armed approach to her art reveals a determination to spread the word about folk music and dance without watering down their distinctiveness.
John Wenzel~The Denver Post
Life is Good Blues
Heel To Toe
