Christina Courtin

07.28.08 | Christina Courtin To Tour East Coast August 1st - 21st

"One such recording artist Christina Courtin will tour the East Coast in August 2008, opening six shows for singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. Courtin, whose voice the New York Times recently described as "[calling] to mind the soulful, atmospheric sound of the late 1960s: early Joni Mitchell at times, with an occasional touch of Laura Nyro and the vaguest hint of Janis Joplin," is singer-songwriter and classical violinist. She blends blues, soul and rock with elements of jazz and classical music to produce a mesmerizing live experience and has worked with an eclectic array of artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Rufus Wainwright, Ryan Scott, Jon Brion, Vienna Tang, Mark O'Connor and Teddy Thompson. Her debut record is due for a January 2009 release on Nonesuch Records.

Friday, August 1 at 7:00 PM-- Brooklyn, NY --Celebrate Brooklyn (with The Knights)

Friday, August 15 at 8:00 PM-- Northampton, MA --Iron Horse Music Hall (with Suzanne Vega)

Saturday, August 16 at 8:00 PM-- Tarrytown, NY --Tarrytown Music Hall (with Suzanne Vega)

Sunday, August 17 at 8:00 PM-- Philadelphia, PA --World Café Live (with Suzanne Vega)

Monday, August 18 at 8:00 PM-- Alexandria, VA --The Birchmere (with Suzanne Vega)

Tuesday, August 19 at 8:00 PM-- Annapolis, MD --Rams Head On Stage (with Suzanne Vega)

Thursday, August 21 at 8:00 PM-- Brooklyn, NY --Brooklyn Masonic Temple (with Suzanne Vega)"

-as posted on Mi2N

10.06.06 | 5 to Watch Out For, TimeOut NY
Who will be this year's biggest break-out successes? We're putting our money on these acts...August 2006

Christina Courtin recently graduated from Julliard, where she studied violin. Yet it’s as a singer that she has been selling out downtown spaces like Mo Pitkin’s and Joe’s Pub. Courtin’s bold, busy voice touches on both Janis Joplin and Antony, and her songs have an immediately classic feel—like Norah Jones, with more brawn.

02.19.06 | The next somebody?
"Onstage, she lunges into her music with a spasmodie fearlessness that most vocalists reserve for the shower, recalling peformers as diverse as Janis Jopin and Antony....'The excitement for Christina is similar to what I saw with Norah Jones,' says Brice Rosembloom, who cooked both women for residencies at Makor, 'The difference is that with Norah, it took a push from the industry to get things going. With Christina, the buzz is purely audience driven.'"

Jay Ruttenberg, TimeOut, NY

03.09.05 | Yo-Yo
"Christina Courtin's passion for music is evident whether she is singing or playing the violin. I admire her creativity."
- Yo-Yo Ma

02.03.05 | Curtain Number Three
"Christina Courtin has command of a very fine voice. Rich, strong and soulful, on one extreme evoking Dido, on the other Ani DiFranco. The musical arrangements are tight, inventive and have a sense of "easy" that is just priceless. The songs never force their point; never outlast their welcome. There's real craft displayed here."
-Conrad Teves

09.20.04 | Tuning Instruments and Ears to Sound of Far Away, NY Times
"....her own brand of rock singing and wailing...."

-James R. Oestreich

09.10.04 | Indie Music Beat 101 Best Songs
Curtain Number Three, "Perfect Nonsense" Review
"Opening with an acoustic guitar that sounds nothing like an acoustic guitar and closing with the vocals of just one person--Christina Courtin--even though it sounds like a 100 person choir, Perfect Nonsense utilizes the abilities of great musicians and the awesome power of today's studio technology to create a track that stands out in the current musical mold"

08.19.04 | Kick Start Sounds
"Curtain Number Three is a short (only thirty minutes) short display of the talents of Christina Courtin. Courtin sings, writes, and plays the violin. On this record she is accompained by some fine musicians to create her own little world.

Opener Perfect Nonsense is a benchmark for the rest of the record, with some backward sounds, casual drums and bittersweet lyrics. Courtin's voice is definetaly unique and sounds just like her lyrics.

Although I am not a big fan of "jazzpop", I have to say Christina Courtin has won me over. The album is a short display of what we may expect of her in the future: bitter lovesongs with some inventive musical structures. Look out for her."

Jeroen
Kick Start Sounds

07.18.04 | Indie Music Review Central
"Courtin's bluesy delivery takes cues from Plant and Joplin and slams down on territory that is all her own. Highly recommended."
-Bryan Baker

03.14.04 | Not Your Average Dave, UB Spectrum
"When a band is likened to Dave Matthews Band these days, a wrinkle between the eyebrows usually forms, and slight hemorrhaging of the musical artery that pulses inside every diehard fusion/pop/rock auteur commences. It's not that DMB is a poor, or unworthy, band to be compared to. It's that usually its comparison is an unfair link. It's like calling American Idol winner Ruben Studdard the next Stevie Wonder.

But then again, sometimes a band falls from the sky upon the local scene, and sparks of excitement fly rampant. Prioress, led by violin-and-vocal phenom Christina Courtin, is one of those bands. Their latest release, "Curtain Number Three," not only lives up to the most casual of Dave Matthews Band references, it explodes with a uniqueness not usually included on other supposed knock-offs.

All tracks are written by Courtin, who spends time outside the studio at the esteemed Juilliard School in New York City. A full discourse of Courtin's stringed talent is not the highlight of the disc, unfortunately. But with a wealth of vocal hormonies, all provided by Courtin, the occasional absence of her violin wizardry is gladly excused.

Leading off with the perfectly likeable "Perfect Nonsense," a cool reversed riff opens the pleasing chord progressions, something each song benefits from. Rich with multi-layered track trickery, producer Dan Castellani offers sophisticated work right off the bat. If the concluding chorus of Courtin's rich harmonies isn't enough to immediately push repeat, nothing else on the CD is likely to please.

With little chance to breathe after such a warm opening reception, "Someone to Love" continues the pleasure the band's happy-go-lucky mood setting. It's too bad the summer has already passed; this track is what speeding down the highway, singing along at embarrassing volumes is all about.

The disc is a big ole pile of fun, and while the eight tracks are not nearly enough to satisty, they spin a pleasing 30 minutes of musical webbing. Perhaps a next step in Prioress' career should be an attempt at a less produced, more organie sound. It's not that "Curtain Number Three" offers too much of a good thing, but no artist shoud sound so professional so early in their career."

Benjamin Siegel
Arts & Life Editor
spectrum-arts@buffalo.edu