Through the Concrete and the Rocks

Dana Mase | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 30, 2010)
• Original Release Date: November 6, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: The Orchard
• ASIN: B00000G0X5
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,827,367 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Nobody Knows Me

2. Not So Clear

3. Standing Naked

4. Dandelions

5. Childhood Memories

6. Ellendale, North Dakota (I Believe in You)

7. Something More

8. Woman in Apt. 3C

9. Fall Away

10. I Am Green

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

The title of critically praised singer-songwriter Dana Mase's third album "Through The Concrete & The Rocks" comes from the closing verse in the lead track, "A Little Light."

Like a flower reaches the sun through the concrete and the rocks

I'll reach with my foolish heart

So give me light, let me grow, you never know, you never know,

How far a little light will go.

The message, the uncommonly contemplative lyricist admits, is especially revealing about a young woman who has been through a lot of soul searching, much of it painful, but all of it meaningful--and all of it contributing to her unique musical vision.

"I think about a city street somewhere, and see flowers and grass growing through the cracks in the pavement--and that is how I see myself," says Mase. "Everything that has happened in my life seems to have come through hard, impossible places. I've had an eccentric life, and that's where the line comes from."

To carry the metaphor further, "A Little Light" is about how little things can emerge, as Mase continues, "how somebody can light a candle in a darkened room and the whole room shines." Indeed, "Through The Concrete & The Rocks" is full of songs that bring out Mase's spiritual yearning for light in life's darkest places. But unlike her previous folk-rock outings, this album offers a fuller production sound, centering on her voice and Hammond B3 organ play, and expanding on it under the direction of veteran producer Steve Addabo.

"He is very good at letting the music be what it is--and not getting in the way," says Mase of Addabo, who's worked with the likes of Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega. Mase's own "totally organic production took place in New York City and also involved guitarist John Putnam, whose credits include Madonna and Melissa Etheridge; current 98 Degrees guitarist Ric Molina; drummer Joe Bonadio, who plays with Duncan Sheik and Martin Sexton; and Vega's current bassist Michael Visceglia. "It's a great group of musicians, and we worked really hard doing gigs before we went into the studio to capture this moment in time."

It appears to have been an opportune moment which Mase, Addabo, and the band captured, at least according to early press notices. Citing its "depth and coherence," progressive radio tip sheet FMQB called "Through The Concrete & The Rocks" a wonderful collection of songs," while the Berkshire Eagle perceptively recognized the "strange combination of uncertainty and faith" and the "haunting, rock-fueled edges and bridges that land it solidly in contemporary Lilith Fair territory." These initial reviews follow raves for Mase's preceding album "Sitting With An Angel" in publications including The Boston Phoenix--which extolled it as "a work of glistening, folk-rock beauty"--and indicate that Mase, like the flower in "A Little Light," is rising through the cracks and into full blossom.

But what a long, strange trip it's been--and that is an understatement! Even at the beginning, Mase's life was full of portents. Growing up in Cleveland's affluent Shaker Heights suburb, Mase lived with her family on the poorer side of town--in a haunted house also occupied by ghosts residing on the third floor. An animal lover and fanatic horseback rider, she bought a mail-order alligator--but it froze in the mailbox. Her first car--a Cricket--exploded in the driveway.

She found her first guitar on top of a huge mound of junk in her grandfathers pawn shop, and frequently sang in the Denny's parking lot after 2 a.m. She also taught herself to play piano, and was influenced by her older sisters Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Neil Young albums, also the Rolling Stones' "Between The Buttons," since it contained "Ruby Tuesday." But she took her parents divorce very hard: She experimented with drugs, ran away from home, dropped out of high school, got her GED, and went off to college in North Dakota--a pivotal experience recounted in the new albums song "El

Product Description

Through the Concrete and the Rocks by Dana Mase

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done, February 10, 2003

By 

Ben-Tzion (Monsey, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Through the Concrete and the Rocks (Audio CD)

I found this cd to be really good. The lyrics are good, the music is creative and well-spun. Dana's guitar playing and that of her band is really good, and I feel that each song is just really good.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars introspection, August 20, 2004

By 

G. P. (Philadelphia, PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Through the Concrete and the Rocks (Audio CD)

Dana Mase keeps the material on a personable level while trying to figure out her place in this world. She writes about the relationships in her life and how she thinks they define her. You get honest, thought-provoking lyrics combined with subtle intimate imagery that provides an enlightening look into her mind-set. You can relate to every ponderance sung about, come away with a better sense of who you are, and understand that other people are asking themselves the same questions everyday. The only drawback is she confines herself to ballads and very soft soft rock and doesn't expand into other music genres. Despite that, it's still a very good album and the lyrics are better and more thought-provoking than previous efforts. Is it worth the cost? Definitely, you can't really hate anything about this album if you like a sense of depth in your musical tastes.