​Kassi Valazza (from album From Newman Street

​Kassi Valazza (from album From Newman Street

​Kassi Valazza (from album From Newman Street on Fluff & Gravy Records) (by Danny McCloskey)
 
A cacophony of rumbling rhythm keeps “Birds Fly” grounded while assured strums move confidently down “Better Highways”, the opening track on From Newman Street, the latest release from Kassi Valazza. A Folk Country breeze blows across “Weight of the World”, a song Kassi shares that ‘this might be the first song that I wrote for this record, and I think everything just kind of came after that. Something about that song, it made all the other songs make sense’.  Heavy chords cradle “Small Things” as “Shadows of Lately” sparkles with finger-picked acoustic notes in a song that recalls early Joni Mitchell recordings.
 
As Kassi Valazza went about recording her third album, she parted ways with Portland, Oregon, where the songwriter had spent a decade honing her sound and cultivating a following. She felt that ‘as someone with anxiety, I always wanted to know what’s going to happen. But knowing can be limiting. Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, that’s growth. That’s what this album is about, really’. Her new path chose New Orleans as homebase, with half the tracks on the album written in Portland, and half in NOLA.  A determined groove rides on caffeinated guitar stums, thick bass notes, and a persistent patter of rhythm for “Your Heart’s a Tin Box” as “Time is Round” hushes its playing, balancing the quiet moments with Folk Rock rhythms while the album urges “Roll On” and introduces “Market Street Savior”. Kassi Valazza closes out From Newman Street showcasing the title track with simple acoustics. (by Danny McCloskey)
 
Listen and buy the music of Kassi Valazza from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Kassi Valazza website