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| The Border Mail |
South Australian singer-songwriter Abbie Cardwell displays vivid emotion, in both voice and lyrics.
Her new CD offers a wide-ranging synthesis of soul, blues and new country and showcases Cardwell's dexterity on acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica and tambourine.
The album opens with 3am, a languid tale about a sleepless night.
The laid-back vocals continue, combining Cardwell's banjo and lovely lyrics in Goodnight, followed by the banjo-infused title track with its mention of Cardwell's "brother on steel string", Jeb Cardwell, whose evocative Dobro introduction on the Devil and Me" is an album highlight. By Hook Or By Crook is by any measure a gorgeous manifestation of a remarkable talent.
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| pb |
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| November 2007 |
"Abbie Cardwell shows that she's the real deal on her new record. Think Lucinda williams, Rickie Lee Jones, Sheryl Crow and Ryan Adams.
The album opens with a song called 3AM, and this is the perfect late-night track - simple and direct, but with a voice that aches. There's a rootsy cover of the Stones' Can't You Hear Me Knocking, but Abbie's sweet songwriting dominates proceedings, conveying both pain and pleasure.
Mixed by Nick Didia (Powderfinger, Bruce Springsteen), this is a world-class record.
2008 should be Cardwell's year."
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| Jeff Jenkins - Music Australia Guide/JB Hi-Fi Mag |
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| The Advertiser Newspaper 25.10.07 |
Former Adelaide lass Abbie Cardwell definitely has talent and
wisdom beyond her years. Her songs ignite with deep emotion and are performed with a raw passion
This songbird is a folk-loving, jill of all trades. She writes, sings, plays banjo, guitar and harmonica – and don’t forget her acting ability.
Her third album takes a while to warm up but when it does, the offerings are sublime.
Poverty is a touching and harrowing look at insufficiency, while Atlanta is
fun and nostalgic.
The album has an organic quality, comforting like a country home.
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| Candice Keller |
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| THE WAIFS |
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"ABBIE IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SINGERS... LAID BACK, SOULFUL AND BREATH-TAKING, LIKE THE LADY HERSELF"
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| VICKI THORN - THE WAIFS, AUGUST 2007 |
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| ALBUM REVIEW |
Album review by: nicedacks
Posted: Friday, October 19
If you’re up for a country mile’s travel down the brother sister folk/roots freeway, hang a left at Angus & Julia to arrive somewhere near Abbie and Jeb. Cardwell, that is. From Adelaide via America, Abbie is the vocalist as she joins older brother Jeb in Melbourne for this her fifth release. The duo employs an organic range of instruments, vocal overdubs and proven players including the established rhythm of drummer / artiste / suit tester Ashley Davies (Matt Walker / Might Servant), a consistent associate to quality such as this.
But the spotlight is on Abbie and the results are impressive.
Within seconds this long player solidifies as suitable full player by setting your world to that of hers, a reservedly ebullient cool, countrified calm. With some effortless plucking, strumming and sweetly sung vocals on tracks like ‘3am’, ‘Goodnight’ and ‘Poverty’, it’s an ideal accompaniment in that golden hour of Sunday solitude, a long drive or freshly broken heart.
The album peaks with alt. country slacker ‘Chip Chip’ [“Chip chip, bit by bit, I’m gonna take my time”] followed by the catchy chorus of ‘Atlanta’. Earlier during ‘I Miss the Friend’ Cardwell exhibits a robust, lived-in voice somewhere between Mia Dyson and Joan Wasser (Joan As Policewoman) for another highlight. ‘Broken’ appears in band and solo versions with equal success, the latter accentuating the effect the F-word (not quite “folk”) can offer a slow song. Vibrant times with the rockier ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’, the grassy coastal jaunt of ‘Johanna’ and title track ‘By Hook or By Crook’ where Abbie sings “I got a banjo and songs to sing, I got a band and a brother on steel string”. Meanwhile ‘Fool’s Paradise’ [“I have no home, I have no home”] meanders from dusty trails to not quite middle of the road, remaining above the line of all things good and wholesome.
From her Triple J Unearthed win in 2002 to multiple other songwriting awards, strength gained from international tours with international artists (Mark Knopfler) and the grand prize of renowned engineer Nick DiDia (whose credits includes Springsteen, Aimee Mann, Neil Young, Train and Pearl Jam amongst others) working on this album, the result is that 'By Hook or By Crook' is a definite creeper and impossible not to like. A quick skim through does it no justice with the opening bars of many songs sounding equally hokey before Cardwell’s voice brings the stories, and as a whole it takes a few spins to fully absorb. Nonetheless it’s an assured effort from another quality local artist with further potential and perhaps, hopefully some slightly more lush arrangements down the road. Someone really should lock The Sleepy Jackson’s Luke Steele and Abbie Cardwell in a studio together to create what could be Album of the Year. This however is still one of 2007’s better releases.
The artwork on By Hook or by Crook is a detailed, gatefold textured brown paper layout and with its overall design, musicianship and production; it’s the type of album you’d take home to your Mum. Or buy as a Christmas present... but play it a few times and you’ll end up keeping it.
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| Matt James - |
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| WOT90's RADIO - CANADA |
Abbie Cardwell's newest CD "By Hook Or By Crook" is a masterpiece. Easily one of the year's ten best. It's a beautiful blend of folk, blues and country influenced songs that have been painstakingly crafted by a songwriter that is at the top of her game.
This album is a definite "Must Have".
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| Mark - WOT90's Radio - Canada |
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| THE SUNDAY MAIL |
"ABBIE CARDWELL IS SUPERB! MORE PRESENCE THAN SANTA CLAUS!"
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| PETER GOERS, AUGUST 2007 |
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| THE WAIFS |
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"Abbie Cardwell is one of my favourite singers. I was in awe when I first saw her perform 10 years ago and have sought out every recording she has made since. From Op-pop to jazz blues diva and now with this, her latest release she has really found her thang. Laid back, soulful and breathtaking - like the lady herself.".
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| VICKI THORN - THE WAIFS, AUGUST 2007 |
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| Indie News 26th May 2004 |
CHECK IN TO THE LOVE MOTEL
It was late on a Thursday night when Howzat! "discovered" Abbie Cardwell. I was doing some reviews and I was short a CD or two. Abbie's EP, Love Motel, was staring at me. If truth be told, it had been there for a couple of weeks, and for some reason, I'm not sure why, I hadn't given it a spin. But the minute I put it in my CD player, I was transfixed. And entranced. "Anchored, anchored down," Abbie sings at the start of the first song, "Livin' in the past, nowhere bound." She might be living in the past - the Love Motel is a rootsy affair - but, let me tell you, Abbie Cardwell is going places. In fact, she flies out of Australia today. But it won't be the last we hear of her. She's relocating to America.
"It's like a fairytale," Abbie says, "I'm very excited. I hope it's not all a dream." Howzat! caught Abbie's live show at Manchester Lane last Monday. The Adelaide singer-songwriter is a captivating performer - cheeky, funny, cute, poignant, with a fine voice. It's an exciting time for her and you can feel it. Of course, even though Howzat! has been oblivious to Abbie's talents until now, she has been busy over the past few years. She was Unearthed by JJJ and Adelaide's Rip It Up magazine dubbed her "the first lady of Adelaide soul". She started out in a punk band called Puck and later fronted an acoustic trio called Blue Jay. Love Motel is a one-off deal with ABC Music/Universal, so who knows where she'll turn up next. She's going to America indefinitely, but hopes to be back in Australia for summer's festival season. Abbie might be gone, but look out for her guitarist brother Jeb, who has just moved to Melbourne.
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| Jeff Jenkins |
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| Love Motel E.P. Review |
Country music, I have a sneaking suspicion, is well on its way into the hearts of today's youth. If you don't believe me, check out The White Stripes… or more to the point check out Abbie Cardwell, the twenty something singer/songwriter from Melbourne.
Okay, so she's no Loretta Lynn, she's no Dolly Parton, she's more a hybrid of country mixed with a touch of blues and soul music. Track one on this EP 'Anchored' is a chilled out tune perfect for those do-nothing-all-day-days but the title track, 'Love Motel' is even lyrically country. "Check me out of the love motel!" Cardwell croons.
'Simplify Me' is a showcase for her diva-ability. Her voice stands up among the great jazz singers. Ella Fitzgerald would be proud. Abbie is certainly a talent to watch out for in the near future. So rarely can such a simple acoustic band be so emotional.
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| Tim Cashmere (cokebuddy.com) |
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| dB Magazine article May 2004 |
Starting out over a decade ago as a vocalist in the fantasy-folk outfit Puck before moving towards the blues orientated Blue Jay, Abbie Cardwell has come a long way in the five years since she first decided to seriously pick up the guitar and go solo. Having performed at this year's Womad Festival and the Byron Bay Blues Festival, along with many other high profile gatherings (including the last three Adelaide Fringe Festivals, the 2003 BMI Showcase in Austin, Texas, the 2002 New Years Eve celebrations in Hyde Park, Sydney and the 1999 Warp Festival in London), Cardwell has also supported the likes of The Waifs, Tony Joe White, Xavier Rudd, Steve Earle and the Dukes and Martha Davis, as well as David Knopfler (Dire Straits) in Germany. Delicately juxtaposing the more rootsy expressions of her most immediate musical inspirations (rock, country, folk, blues and soul) into her craft, Cardwell has done more than just impress audiences wherever she plays: she also won the South Australian leg of the 2002 Triple J Unearthed competition with Half Lovin', and the 2003 Dig Deeper Award.
The result of this latest trophy is part of the reason Cardwell's now on the phone, but her other big news is that she's off to the USA. "I'm attending a song writing conference at a little island called Kauai, just off Hawaii for about four or five days," she exclaims. "That's an annual conference where there's a whole lot of co-writing opportunities, seminars and performances. And after that I'll be doing some more co-writing in New York and Nashville, so I'll be off for a while to network and learn."
This time she's hoping the trip will be more than just a fleeting visit. "For the moment it's indefinite," she hints. "It might be a case of me being there for a little while until I can finalise a green card, who knows? It really is the beginning of a different era as I've sold everything and I'm not going to be based in Adelaide anymore. To me it feels like a natural progression; I've taken it as far as I can staying where I am.
"I mean, I'm not turning my back on Australia and I have lived interstate before and I could go back there, but it really would be all much of a muchness. I'm moving on and I don't really know where I'm going, so it's like I'll jump and a net will hopefully appear. It's scary, but I have to do it because I want to develop my song writing and my musicianship."
Which brings us to her latest CD, 'Love Motel.' "The EP is actually a prize that I won through the Australian Music Week showcase in Melbourne last year, and that was to record and release a six track EP," she proudly states.
Does this mean that Cardwell now has a recording contract? "I haven't signed a record deal," she answers cautiously, "but basically ABC have paid for this recording, had it pressed it and are now distributing it, and in the process they've kind of gone, 'Hey, we'd really like to have her as an ABC artist.' But that's something that's not yet finalised."
With a new CD and an exciting new chapter in her career about to unfold, I ask Cardwell if she's familiar with another ex-pat Aussie, Keith Urban, who after enduring a long hard slog to get recognised, is now successfully living in Nashville. "Well, I don't know if I'll be mowing lawns," she immediately retorts. "I met his manager who used to mow lawns for him to get money. I think Keith did a bit but his manager was the one who worked bloody hard. I don't have to do that, thank God." Even so, there's still no guarantee of three square meals a day. "Yeah, I might have to take some Maggi Noodles with me," she laughs.
Some gardening gloves might be handy too.
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| Steve Jones |
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| Days and Nights CD Review (No longer in pressing) |
Darn it! How could I've been so blind? This gorgeously organic live mini-album CD from Adelaide's divine and diverse singer/songwriter has been sitting in my reviews pile for god knows how long - and it's bloody slimline case made it virtually impossible to spot… hence I've tripped over it again and remembered how cool it was. I saw and was impressed by the actual show ( in support of Martha Davis and the motels - and sadly, you can hear my supportive caterwauling from the audience… sorry Abbie!) and this deftly expurgated version is offered remarkably warm and clean production, focusing intently on Abbie's solid, jazz-soul, intimate solo performance (though brother Jeb adds some classy playing to Skeletons). Abbie's sheer class is evident no matter how informal the show and her dedication to making the audience believe every pulse of emotion throughout Fiction and the tiltle track in particular is gently alluring and highly comelling. The playfully flirtatious touches on Luscious Lady are nimble though more'café' than the heart and soul of the more serious tracks, which touch similar nerves to Rickie Lee jones, Suzanne Vega's earlier work and even Ani Di Franco.
Abbie's fluency with beats is given a taste-tester with two smooth, subtly funky, programmed tracks - sympathetically produced by GT Stringer's finger pickin' luthier, Jim Redgate. The wistful (1/2 Lovin') and playful St Tropez banana lounge jiggler (Pick It Up - entering Sheryl Crow territory, but more preferentially for my tastes) after-tastes hinted at here are certainly worth further investigation from this talented, charismatic and very promising songstress.
What's next baby? Something big we hope. Knock one into the top 10 for us would ya? Oh and sorry this is so late.
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| Naz (forthegirlmostlikelytosucceed) Rip It Up Magazine |
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| Live Gig Review |
The Motels/ Abbie Cardwell
Governor Hindmarsh Hotel
Thurs 27 September 2001
With the crowd slowly but steadily building up, Abbie Cardwell stepped to centre stage and began a set that showed those in the know how much a few years overseas and in Melbourne and a few garnered 'industry experiences' along the way can improve one's confidence as an artist. If the girl was good last time we saw her perform in our hometown, she has now graduated to exceptional… both in her simple but more than effective use of an acoustic guitar and her unorthodox use of the microphone to further accentuate her already perfectly controlled vocals. Joined by her brother Jeb for the last two songs, Cardwell then set out to let her vocals fly by validating her love for free form jazz and scat. Two very talented siblings, one brilliant set.
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| 'Yearn' CD Review |
The first lady of Adelaide soul, Abbie Cardwell (ex Blue Jay and Puck), hits out with a dynamically funk-tinged, silky soul-o album of high quality and inspirational, highly emotive highs and lows. A class act and no mistake, Abbie's the kind of singer that can instantly provoke a deep, rich reaction from the listener. It's certainly something approximating love as far as I'm concerned, coz I can't get enough.
Dripping with bright character, nimble voice, playful inflections and a precious, gently vulnerable intimacy, she evokes the same kind of magic as the best of today's singers (neatly side-stepping the yhe yawn-worthy chops displays and cliches of modern R&B-lite-isms and yet standing tall right along side them) while bringing the best memories of her beloved Rickie Lee Jones - that means even you Jewel fans have someone new to latch onto too! - flooding back with dramatically realised effectiveness and cleverly aintained originality.
Yearn is a gentle, acoustic flavoured trip threaded with romantic overtones, sad solitude and passionate sexiness. She's not lacking lyrically either - a definate plus - and this quality imbues the material with a gorgeously evergreen longevity. I refuse to pick a fave because I quite simply love the lot and implore you to check it out for yourselves. You heard me!
Prepare to have your head spin, heart swell and feel the ground slip beneath you if you're going to make the wise decision to shell out the bucks for Yearn. Abbie's made good on her promise - so look out guys and gals, here comes a BIG star.
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| Naz , Rip It Up Magazine |
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