by Cat Johnson
Catie Curtis is one of those artists that I feel like I’ve grown up in parallel with. From her heartfelt and innocent early music, to her work as a woman getting in touch with her deeper layers, and on through her new collection of songs that reads as the work of a woman who understands who she is and what she holds dear, Curtis has provided a soundtrack for a generation of folkies.
As part of the folkrock-rich 1990s, the Boston-based Curtis cut her teeth in the company of such icons as the Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, Tracy Chapman and the like; artists who have taken the slow and steady route to making music, who prioritize self-expression and artistic integrity, and Curtis is right there with them. With an impressive catalog to her name, Curtis has been a consistent voice in the folk world for the last 20-plus years.
Her forthcoming release (August 30), Stretch Limousine on Fire (Compass Records), is a well-crafted and insightful affair; an open and honest offering that explores longing, love, life, creativity and self. Curtis is at the top of her songwriting game here, crafting songs that are engaging, touching, relate-able and tight. She sings of her childhood memories, embracing the unknown, life as a musician, marriage and family, appreciating the small things, and the inevitability of death.
Produced by Lorne Entress and featuring Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lisa Loeb, Julie Wolf and more, Stretch Limousine on Fire is a musical portrait of a woman who is deeply content with herself and her life. Curtis sings from a place of knowing that life is a magnificent and fleeting gift that should be cherished despite enormous personal and global challenges.
Balancing a diverse range of topics and moods, Curtis has made an album that resonates of joy, insight and gratitude. As she sings in “Let It Last,” I know it can’t last/And all I ask is let it last a little longer.
