Adam Dawson at Broken Jukebox Media was kind enough to loop me in on the release info for this album (thank you!) and I spent the last few days playing it as I drove around the Eastern US.   My combined knowledge about Clarisse prior to this amounted to a single I caught on Apple Music (“Ain’t Going Back” feat. Sienna Shalhoub) and a YouTube video of an interview her and Todd Clayton gave to KUSA-TV.   After getting this press release I did some more research and was impressed with her album Kindred Spirits from 2024. This also features some other musicians from Colorado including Dan Kamis, Jordan Yewey, Joe Oeser, Stephen Jourdan, Michelle Castillo and Chelsey Webb.  

Shadows of a Ghost Town leads off with “Bright Lights” which is a slow-tempo classic with a subtle melody line playing under a melancholy tone.  The lyrics on this track highlight Clarisse’s songwriting chops and that continues to shine throughout the album.   The third selection “Copper and Quartz” lends a very nostalgic old west vibe to a love song that works well.  Another notable song for me is “The Ghost of California” which gives a bit of a lullaby quality to lost loves and good-byes.  Throughout this album the clarity of Clarisse’s voice is extraordinary and really adds to the emotion of her storytelling.   A very worthy collection of eleven songs that I suspect are going to increase her visibility in the country and bluegrass genre. 

This will be released in full on September 26th via Howlin’ Dog Records and you can pick up a CD copy here:

Also available to check on your favorite streaming channel – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂 

And if you have the inclination after listening to that streaming service  …please think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

And support your locals – community is powerful!