Photo by Shem Roose

"Vermont, meet Toni Catlin, Toni Catlin meet Vermont"

"Actually, you've met before, though you shouldn't be faulted if you forgot. The silken-voiced songstress grew up here but has spent the last several years plying her trade in Nashville. Folks with an ear for slickly produced, twangy folk rock - 104.7PM The Point, we're lookin' in your direction - would do well to become reacquainted. And although it was released in 2006, Catlin's Uncovered is a good place to start.

From the outset, two things are immediately clear. One, she's an uncommonly gifted vocalist. And two this disc came straight outta Nashville. Speaking to the former point, Catlin possesses a clean, full-bodied timbre and has remarkable control of her abilities. She is always in command, never overestimating her range or technical prowess, which are both considerable. A talent such as hers could be excused for indulging in stylized histrionics on occasion. But she rarely does, instead relying on her natural tone and an innate knack for phrasing.

Given that artists such as Paula Cole have sold a gajilion records, there's obviously a healthy market for airbrushed folk-pop confections. But on her best day, Cole can't match Catlin's nuanced wordsmithing.

SEVEN DAYS,
Burlington, VT
Dan Bolles"