Abbie Gardner - Hope

Styles: Vocal, Folk
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:17
Size: 83,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Break it Slow
(3:27)  2. Liar
(3:06)  3. Comes Love
(3:22)  4. I Can't Be Good for You
(4:38)  5. Hope
(3:11)  6. It's You
(2:32)  7. Bang Bang
(1:58)  8. Do It (feat. Craig Akin)
(2:59)  9. Nellie
(3:31) 10. Walkin' Cane
(3:19) 11. Too Soon

Coming five years and three Red Molly albums after her last solo CD, Hope is Abbie Gardner's latest solo recording- set to be released on April 1, 2011. The CD features her versatile voice backed by 3 types of slide guitar (dobro, lap steel, and National bottleneck) and a band comprised of not only her father, Herb Gardner (piano), but also her sister, Sarah Gardner, on organ. Ben Wittman (the drummer on Red Molly's James) locks in with upright bassist Craig Akin, who is featured on the first instrumental Abbie has ever recorded (a bass and dobro duet). The songs range from heartache to hope, from gritty lap steel to singing cellos, courtesy of Emily Hope Price. Folk sweetheart Robby Hecht lends his voice to three tracks and fellow member of Red Molly, Laurie MacAllister, is heard throughout. Longtime friends and collaborators Fred Gillen, Jr. and Beaucoup Blue also lend their voices.

"I feel like the songs revolve around Hope, both the song and the idea. Rather than having all hopeful songs, this CD reflects the glimmer of hope we all look for when in the midst of darkness."~ Abbie Gardner, talking about her new solo CD Hope.

"Abbie Gardner shows her prodigious writing chops in her new album, Hope. Tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, ride the back of her by-now familiar, formidable slide guitar licks. She channels Lucinda and Bonnie, but remains pure Abbie." ~  Richard Cuccaro, Publisher, Acoustic Live

"Abbie Gardner gives the grit to Red Molly with her Dobro playing. On her new solo CD we get to hear not only her instrumental and songwriting prowess, but her marvelously versatile voice, which can convey pain or playfulness or pure bad girl blues power."~ John Platt, WFUV   http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/abbiegardner7

Hope

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Abbie Gardner - Honey On My Grave

Styles: Country
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:58
Size: 83,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:10)  1. Honey On My Grave
(2:49)  2. Dreams
(3:47)  3. You Got to Move
(4:06)  4. I'm a Fool
(3:34)  5. Ain't Misbehavin
(3:13)  6. One Love
(2:20)  7. Caffeine
(3:33)  8. Sweet Georgia Pines
(2:46)  9. Ohio
(2:14) 10. Hit the Road Jack
(4:22) 11. Breathe Again

“She can be touching, wrenching, haunting, or bluesy, or all three at different moments in one song.”~ The Ectophile’s Guide to Good Music

Abbie is a member of Red Molly, a NY female trio playing Americana music. Abbie began playing Dobro in 2004 and fell in love with the instrument. "Honey On My Grave" is a collection of mostly original songs that span several genres, from jazz to blues, country to bluegrass and folk/pop. Several songs were recorded live in studio, though Abbie plays both guitar and Dobro on track 3 (Ain't Misbehavin). This New York professional (and former high school band conductor) has a knack for creating four-minute snapshots of human interaction. Abbie was named as a finalist in the 2003 Hank Williams Songwriting Competition for "The Game of War," and 2003 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for, "One Love." Abbie’s interest in music started as a young child. She played flute classically throughout school and began singing in a cappella groups in 1992. 

As the musical director and arranger/transcriber for the Boston University Treblemakers, Abbie released an a cappella CD in 1997 called “Treble in The Waters.”  In 1998, Abbie began playing guitar and has been writing and performing original acoustic blues/folk songs since then, with independent recording efforts “Tea and a Cookie, ” and self-titled EP “Abbie Gardner”. Performing in coffee shops across the country led Abbie to develop the “Open Mic Directory,” a portion of her web site that has been an invaluable resource to independent musicians nationwide since 1999.

In 2004 she released, "My Craziest Dream" a collection of jazz standards with her father, pianist Herb Gardner. A five piece quartet was recorded live in-studio for this swing record and plays swing dances in and around NY. 

“It’s a beautiful voice. She’ll hold a note until it changes color, usually from blue to orange or the other way around. A little Janis, a little Alanis, a whole lot of soul that feels too much but wouldn’t have it any other way.”~  Muse’s Muse  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/abbiegardner3

Honey On My Grave

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Abbie Gardner - My Craziest Dream

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:09
Size: 112.5 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[2:33] 1. Happy Feet
[3:07] 2. It's Only A Paper Moon
[2:27] 3. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[3:57] 4. Under A Blanket Of Blue
[3:44] 5. Them There Eyes
[4:15] 6. Cheek To Cheek
[3:12] 7. I Had The Craziest Dream
[2:40] 8. Your Mother's Son-In-Law
[3:03] 9. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
[3:24] 10. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
[3:39] 11. Mean To Me
[3:04] 12. Tuxedo Junction
[3:40] 13. Ain't Misbehavin
[2:43] 14. Staten Island
[3:35] 15. Gunshots And Sirens

A young singer, Abbie Gardner has a pleasing voice and swings while sticking close to the vintage lyrics and melodies that she interprets. Clearly, her most important inspiration is her father, veteran swing pianist Herb Gardner, who also contributes background vocals on a few numbers. They perform 13 tunes that are mostly from the late 1920s and early '30s, assisted greatly by the fluent and creative playing of Dan Levinson on clarinet (where his sound is just a little reminiscent of Tony Parenti) and tenor. Some of the numbers are warhorses but a few others "("Happy Feet," "Under a Blanket of Blue" and "Your Mother's Son-in-Law" in particular) are not performed all that often. Clearly, father and daughter had a fun time performing this music. The final two numbers -- a tribute to Herb's home ("Staten Island") and the humorous "Gunshots and Sirens" -- feature Herb on a pair of good-time vocals. This CD is easy to enjoy and shows that Abbie Gardner is a singer with strong future potential. ~Scott Yanow

My Craziest Dream

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