Songstress
Natasha James, known as the “Crossover Music Queen” due to her radio
charting success in multiple music genres, wins “AC/Hot AC New Artist” for the 2009 New Music Awards, it was announced by sponsor, New Music Weekly magazine.
James had been nominated in five categories:
“Crossover Artist Of The Year,” AC/Hot AC: “New Artist” and “Breakthrough
Artist,” College: “New Artist” and “Breakthrough Artist”. The Northern
California-based musician joins such notables as Lady Gaga, Black Eyed
Peas, Kings of Leon, Jakob Dylan, Miley Cyrus, Son Volt
and others on the prestigious NMW winner’s podium.
In addition to winning “Country Album Of
The Year” for her CD Tequila Time (Highway One Records) at the recent
19th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards,
James was recently selected a “Hot 100 Artist of 2009” by respected trade
publication, Music Connection, saw
Tequila Time selected as a “Best Of the 2000’s/End Of Decade”
choice by WomensRadio; and is nominated
for “2010 Female Artist of the Year”
by online music magazine, Rockwired.
“In a radio climate full of
loud, heavily-produced songs filled with guitar riffs straight out of the
80's, it's very refreshing to come across a country album that sounds a
little bit country,” writes Nashville Gab. “Fine playing and very original
writing grace this album…based out of California, Ms. James makes it clear
that there is still a little bit of Gram
Parsons and the Byrds alive
out along the West Coast, as well as some Fleetwood Mac. Tequila Time is a country rock album to make
Laurel Canyon proud.”
Tequila Time CD Review from Here Magazine
(Marin/Sonoma Counties):
The
sophomore album from this remarkably talented Sonoma County
singer-songwriter was voted Country Album of the Year at the 19th Annual
Los Angeles Music Awards.
But the
15-song CD is much more than a straight country album. James does indeed cover that genre on
tunes such as the cryin'-in-your-beer lament “Straight to Hell” and the country rocking title track, but
she's versatile enough to be comfortable in acoustic Americana styles,
minor key blues, story songs, straight-ahead rockers and, surprisingly
enough, even Latin jazz on a tune called “Cheetah on the Run.”
On this
CD, recorded at Cotati's Prairie Sun
studios, James surrounds her rough but relaxed vocals and resonator guitar
with expert playing by some of the North Bay's finest musicians — pedal
steel legend Bobby Black, fiddle
ace Woody Vermiere, Ed Roth on accordion and piano,
guitarists Ian Lamson and David Aguilar, drummer Ronnie Rivera, percussionists Rafael Padilla and Danilo Paiz and Marin's Steve Evans on bass. Kerry Daly adds background vocals.
Tequila Time is the follow to her
acclaimed debut album, Bad Judgments.
She had an Americana hit with the
single “The Restless Kind” on
that album, and follows it with the new single “If You Think This is Love,” a mid-tempo blues rocker with a
stick-in-your head guitar lick. On “Boy
Do We Drink,” “Somebody Just
Blew It,” “Fillin' Station”
and “Stuck in Atlanta,” James
shows that she's been around the block, still has a sense of humor about it
all and can write about universal themes of love and loss without resorting
to tired tropes and country clichés.
This is
a mature singer-songwriter at the peak of her powers who reminds me of Bonnie Raitt and Susan Tedeschi, but has a style all
her own. With Tequila Time, James
just might break into the pop music mainstream.
Catch a Live Performance by
Natasha this Valentine’s Day HERE
Listen to an Interview with
Natasha HERE
Purchase Tequila Time HERE
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