This page contains a brief overview on the album BARBARA KESSLER: Notion. Learn more about the artist and explore the track lists and website. If you find any information that needs to be corrected, please let us know.

 
Originally released on Eastern Front Records (Martin Sexton, Peter Mulvey), "notion" was produced by legendary rock drummer Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Indigo Girls...) Quotes from reviews of "notion:"

"There's a fine line dividing folk and rock, and Kessler's music rests solidly upon it. She's often regarded as an acoustic singer-songwriter, but the title is slightly misleading... [notion] is closer to rock n' roll than most folkies dare to get...rich with tasty rhythms, groove-oriented guitar patterns and a carefully planned mix of instruments." The Boston Globe

'At My Age' is a brilliant song." Sing out! Magazine

"Songs like 'Kathy' showcase Kessler's flair for poignant detail and understatement, qualities that lend her tales of ordinary folks their extraordinary emotional weight." Vin Scelsa, of New York City's WNEW

"Barbara Kessler is the biggest 'unsung' hero of 1996. This record is simply wonderful... [it] takes the prize for the CD about which I've been most often asked, 'Who is that playing? - I like it.' 'Notion' is delicate, passionate, strong, subtle, sweet, alluring... and intensively powerful - one of those CD's all your friends will end up buying after hearing it at your place, because you'll not want to lend them yours." Frank Matheis, "Frank's Picks," Taconic Publishing

"Now we have the follow-up studio album to her acclaimed Stranger To This Land to satisfy our insatiable appetites. Notion is a wonderful collection of songs that is brimming with stellar musicianship. Songs like 'That Hurricane,' 'Sister Mary Madeline,' 'Big Sky' and the title track are simply brilliant." The Album Network

"Really, really, really good... It really rocks - not like Motorhead, but more like R.E.M. at their (long past) best. Trust me - go get this one." Home Theater Magazine

"Kessler has a battery of skilled players to provide the instrumental muscle, and muscle it is. Lean muscle. It's the perfect rendering of just the right sounds at just the right moments. The group is even capable of kicking it in with alternative bite on "Me," a catchy little thing perfectly suited for the college radio stations which might normally bypass gentler artists like Kessler." Out 'n About, Asheville, NC

"With the release of her first studio effort, Notion, Kessler shows impressive maturity as both singer and songwriter...Kessler's music easily transcends musical genres, though elements of folk, pop, rock, and alternative music are components of Kessler's style. Tunes such as At My Age and Me are radio-friendly gems as deserving of airplay as Grammy-darling [Alanis] Morisette's tunes which are saturating the airwaves." Decatur Community Review

"Strong rhythm-section interplay (among drummers Philip Antoniades and Jerry Marotta and bassists Tony Levin and Tim Archibald) and slick production (by Marotta)." Modern Drummer Magazine

"Barbara Kessler [is] an excellent folk-pop singer-songwriter. I listened to her latest album, "Notion," several times which is something I don't often do when I listen to singer-songwriter types. Kessler sounds like Suzanne Vega with a little more gut..." City, Rochester NY

"Barbara Kessler is starting to receive national recognition in no small part due to the recent release of her appealing second CD...The tone is more conversational than profound, which gives the whole thing a friendly, down-to-earth feel...including some semi-squirmy lyrics and some lower register singing that's consciously reminiscent of one of my alternative faves, Liz Phair." The Cape Codder

"Notion is excellent lyrical strength and ingenuity combined with instrumental strength and ingenuity. Overriding all that is Kessler's voice, a pure and deceptively carefree vehicle for presenting stories of undeniable honesty and depth." Music Reviews Quarterly

"Barbara Kessler's latest album offers a folk-rock/alternative masterpiece that establishes this artist as a true contender. A complex, intimate, processed and edgy mix that's absolutely addictive." Crossroads

"She is one of those artists who balances perfectly between the world of rock and folk, creating songs that have messages as well as the good beats you can dance to." The Octopus, Champaign IL

Features Jennifer Kimball, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta

Check out the artist's website:
http://www.barbarakessler.com

Track List:
1. That Hurricane
2. At My Age
3. Notion
4. Carolina
5. Me
6. Sister Mary Madeline
7. Jane's Last Day
8. The Date
9. Kathy
10. Forever Haunted
11. Big Sky

Suggested CDs:

• Kim Taylor
• Sara Hickman

Other Genres:

• POP: Folky Pop
• FOLK: Power-folk
• TYPE: ACOUSTIC