Christene LeDoux: PRESS

As heard on BBC throughout England, Scotland & Ireland including Bob Harris' BBC Radio 2....

Radio play throughout Europe & Australia

"Christene Le Doux, on tour, is a graceful woman with a rambling soul, and a honeyed voice. I bought her CD (an absolute treat for just £10). Sweet Patty is my favorite, because of its poignant truth. Each track is a winner. Christene had the room embraced around her. This lady has gone far and will go even further. I wrote pages about her, but the secret is to listen yourself."

"Studied, quiet and disarmingly honest, Christene LeDoux’s Little Lighthouse is a brave and hushed record. The 16 songs here represent the sweeping scope of LeDoux’s influences and sound, conjuring the finest and most understated qualities of the current contemporary singer-songwriter genre.
Not only is the record stripped-down in its production, but its lyrics have stripped away all barriers between singer and listener, leaving only intimacy and emotions that respond like exposed nerves.
Standouts include “Did You Ever Fall?” with Devin Hoff’s upright bass and B.Z. Lewis’ spooky electric guitar creating a solid but flexible framework for LeDoux’s sweet vocals, which call to mind Cowboy Junkies’ Margo Timmins. “Guardian Angel” is a sexy little groove of a tune that creates a nice, hard contrast to songs like “The Entertainer” and “Daddy’s Café,” which are powerful and deep explorations of loss and life."

"...Upon popping in this CD, and hearing the first notes of Enya-like, Christene can transport you to other lands, or bring you home to a place within your heart..."

"...a thoroughly nice record in every way."

Maverick Magazine, England
Appearing early 2007

Christene LeDoux
Live @ The Chillingham, Newcastle
November 1st 2006

Christene's performance at the Chillingham in Newcastle, marked her first visit to North East, an area fast developing a name for it's many live music venues.

Christene began her set with Roses, a song which aches of loss, about her mom leaving behind her precious roses after divorce. To me, the roses seem synonymous with the familiar life which has been lost too; I will pack my things and go..I will say goodbye to you and this old house…but my garden without water will not grow…who'll care for my roses now?…I don't need much money…hell there's nothin' left of us…all the love the past 40 years…is growin' in the vines, of our backyard…..now that I'm gone...who will care for my roses? This opening song made it immediately clear to everyone in the audience that Christene's music is real, and from the heart about who she is, what she's lived and what she knows.

Christene was born in Torrington, Connecticut, home of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher-Stowe. She now lives in Austin, Texas, by way of Nashville and San Francisco. She spends most of her time on the road, including several months of the year touring Europe both solo and with her Trio based in Sweden, The Black Sheep Girls. As a result of this life of travelling, Christene has collected many stories from the road, many of which find their way into songs.

One such song, Tumbleweed, is made even more special by the several minute long vignette which preceeds it. Plucking her guitar all the while, reminiscent of Nanci Griffith. By the time the song is over we are left in no doubt of either Christene's ability to create a seemingly effortless rapport with her audience, or that she truly is a Tumbleweed! I am a tumbleweed, I just go with the breeze. I am blowing, blowing, blowing where the road and the wind they take me.

Highlights of the evening for me included another new song, Lonely Stranger, with hauntingly beautiful lyrics, which brought to mind Sarah McLachlan; Are you lost, lonely stranger? Do you need a safe place to go?……Here's a shoulder…here's a pillow…here's an ear you can fill, I won't judge…..I'm no judge.

Whiskey Night brought a more upbeat song, which essentially is about enjoying what we have while it's there. Just a little whiskey on a long night…gonna have ourselves a party...doesn't really matter that we've only got tonight, time is all we got……Come on an let your hair down and the whiskey warm you up…I don't pretend this is true love, just another whiskey night.

One of Christene's most requested songs it seems, is Sweet Patty, about her mom being left in an orphanage as a little girl. I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the room as this story unfolded in front of us; I'm just a little girl with my skinny legs, without a family in this orphanage. My ma she left me a note today, sewn in my favourite doll and I'm sad cuz' I left it in the rain….

Songs such as Open Wound, Angel You've Come too Soon, Born To Roam, Wanderin' and a cover of the wonderful song Landslide, continued the evening, all interspersed with her stories and humour.

For the encore we were treated to a rockin' version of Dear Mr. President, and finally one of my favourites from her current Cd (Little Lighthouse), The Entertainer, about a real woman she met on the road. As Christene sang the chorus, ……Don't be sad she says cuz I'm not alone….when I feel sad and lonely, I call music my home, she could be singing about her own life.

The evening ended much too soon, but the audience was left in no doubt that they had just experienced something truly special, and that Christene LeDoux is destined for bigger things. She delivers both stories and songs with such passion and conviction that you can't help but know she is onto something good. I was left in no doubt that to see Christene perform live is about more than just live music. It is about being given a unique opportunity to understand who the person behind that music is, and to share for a brief time, her life on the road and be a part of that journey.

That road is sure to bring her back to the UK next year when her new Cd "Dust and Branches….songs from a Wanderer" is released and I for one will be looking up a date near me.

"Another interesting young American indie singer and composer, Christene Ledoux. Listen to The Entertainer (mp3), a nice song that's got nothing to do with Scott Joplin's famous ragtime. There's also 'Dear Mr President', which is great although more... hem... political. In the fine old tradition of the greatest American protest singers?"

"Christene paints perfect, little vignettes of life with her songs - all the richer due to the pleasure of listening to her sensual voice."

"...Little Lighthouse is packed with sixteen songs, with the first as good as the last..."

"Wow! You're going far! Great music Christene!"

"I received an email from Christene when she had just started as a professional singer/songwriter, she had recorded a few songs and the one I heard was excellent - I made a mental note to remember the name and to look out for her in the future. That was about four years ago and earlier this year she contacted me again, this time to pass on her beautifully packaged and presented debut album. She has a clear and expressive voice that demands you listen to the story she's telling, in many ways she is similar in sound and delivery style to Dar Williams, and her vocals suit the acoustic based arrangements perfectly. Christene is a wonderful writer and the lyrics are excellent throughout, but the strongest tracks on the album are stunningly good, 'Sweet Patty' is a poignant tale of a mother leaving her daughter in an orphanage, it's a great piece of songwriting, but when you realize the story relates to her own mother and grandmother the whole piece becomes sharper. This 'real-life'approach to her writing continues across the whole disc, 'The Entertainer' tells the story of a homeless lady and her journey the street, and 'Bus to the Ocean' tells of a chance meeting with widow taking her husband's ashes to be scattered in the sea - throughout the disc it's obvious that many songs are inspired by real experiences, and that gives the album a unique and intimate feel. While it may not be the most upbeat singer/songwriter disc around, the atmosphere is tempered by the strong melodies and excellent arrangements; this gives the disc a balanced feel and makes it accessible from the first listen. The instrumentation is subtle and detailed with various guitars, bass and percussion alongside the less obvious dulcimer and bowed bass; it gives the disc variety while still obviously remaining a traditional singer/songwriter album. 'Little Lighthouse' may be Christene's debut, but it's the work of a mature and focused artist, and it contains some of the strongest writing you could wish to hear. Fans of Dar Williams, Patty Griffin et al will find much to enjoy here, as it's an acoustic singer/songwriter disc of real quality and depth. Highly recommended."

Reviewing a sold-out show at Henflings: "You've got to get comfortable before baring your soul, so LeDoux took off her shoes before she sang a single note. Perched on a small stool with her beloved autographed guitar, LeDoux embarked on a lengthy set of road songs. Stories about her family, travels, remnants of old lovers, and a motley list of jobs, most of which she was fired from, consumed the subject matter of songs. LeDoux's vocals began with a low, emotive whisper and swelled to a rich, lugubrious wail while her melodies, catchy and repetitive swung over simple, but satisfying guitar accompaniment. Keeping her eyes firmly closed during all songs, LeDoux revealed her personality to the audience during interstitial conversation. The attentive audience remained respectively hushed throughout, asking politely that talkers "speak less," closing outside doors carelessly left ajar, and giving the eye to rowdy inebriates who obliviously strutted into the Tavern turned concert space. Every bar act should be so lucky."

“Christine is a Storyteller. Regardless if she is using a guitar to carry her voice, she is first a storyteller. Her stories coupled by her melody is enchanting, inviting, and most of all, personal. She is a folk singer/storyteller that includes us with each tale. As we listen we are invited to join in the memories, the pictures, and the stories. The pictures unfold from her words, her music, and most of all her. Her clearly designed craft is fashioned like a home maid quilt, each stitch echoes her life, and each fabric forms a beautiful realistic mosaic of her art and her adventures. She is a singer, a storyteller, but most of all a gift giver. Her stories and her songs are her greatest gift.”

Reviewing a show at Los Angeles’, “The Mint”: "The lyrics of Christene LeDoux are so clear and vivid that with each note and tone she emits, a detailed form seems to take shape in our minds. To call LeDoux a storyteller is to understate her skills. She is an artist creating exquisite imagery through song. Her entire performance was pure art, her voice of angelic purity. Playing songs that included "The Entertainer" and "Half Moon Bay", she also demonstrated her virtuosity that makes her such a superlative entertainer. LeDoux may be new to the music industry but her talents would make you believe otherwise. Her performance of "Daddy's Café" is a prime example. Through every song the crowd was entranced, the aura of their love and appreciation a palpable presence in the club. This is what the experience of music is all about."