Amazon.com
From the everything-old-is-new-again file comes Mary Cutrufello. A singer-songwriter-guitarslinger, Cutrufello recalls on her debut the blue-collar grit of Bruce Springsteen, the whiskey soul of Rod Stewart, the tough-girl rock of Melissa Etheridge, and, yes, even the arena-rock fist pump of Bon Jovi. Sure, the Yale-educated, Texas-based newcomer's throaty vocal gymnastics and very macho presence sometimes feels overblown. And some songs weigh heavy with rock clichés (hence the Bon Jovi and Etheridge references). But Cutrufello's downside is countered by an upside of unmitigated rock & roll bliss--tracks such as the rollicking, anthemic "Sunny Day" and the groovy, Black Crowes-like "Sweet Promise." Here is the perfect soundtrack for a Saturday with your head under the hood of a '72 Mustang.
--Neal Weiss
The New York Times
Ms. Cutrufello knows how to give the appearance of pouring every ounce of her being into each note, with every picked string eliciting a grimace and every lyric sung with an intensity intended to drive it into the heart of the listener.