Terri Hendrix - Cry Till You Laugh (2010)

This CD was originally going to be a jazz record, called (please don’t laugh) “Territown.” There’s no telling how many hours I spent researching the songs I’d cover as well as write, only to find out that the idea of doing an entire record in just one style was not in the cards for me this year. In the end, I let the songs fall in the genre of their own choosing. I love storytelling, politics and songs with a message, and have long since realized, at my soul’s core, that I’m a folk singer. But when I dream, I’m a jazz singer with a big band backing me up. On the days I kick back, I’m in boots, worn-out jeans or overalls, and I play the type of music some call “Americana.” These are the styles you’ll find on my new record. For many of you, this is nothing new, as every record I’ve ever done has hopped around stylistically. “What’s different about this recording is that I feel I was able to capture the spirit of a live performance while the tape was rolling in the studio,” Hendrix says. “And I really strived to reach new directions artistically. I studied Charlie Musselwhite, Norton Buffalo and Mad Cat Ruth, and then applied what I learned from them when I played my harp parts. I used different styles of singing as well, from the way I approached scatting on ‘Take Me Places’ and ‘New Orleans,’ to the style in which I sang ‘Sometimes’ and ‘The Berlin Wall.’ I tried new instrumentation, too, writing quite a few of these songs with alternative tunings on my 12-string and hammering out new chord progressions on my keyboard. We also used more harmonies than we have in the past to create a wall of emotion musically.”