HI Everyone...thanks for visiting my website...
I'm off to the North American Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, Tennessee. (Feb 17-21)
ALBERTA BOUND Showcase Room # 1725 performing with Steve Fisher
(Special thanks to Alberta Foundation for the Arts)
Watch here for details on Cori's cross Canada tour this Spring
with Ben Sures and Eve Goldberg.
New Release: `Buffalo Street’ is a collection of beautiful stories inspired by the rich history of the Canadian Rockies and its people. Cori continues her commitment to the craft of songwriting and attention to detail that so effectively evokes a time, a sense of place, a character and of course a range of emotion.
What some reviewers have said about Buffalo Street
****1/2 MAVERICK MAGAZINE-UK, Alan Cackett
As a veteran and leading exponent of Canada’s storied folk heritage, Brewster’s mastery of the music’s many styles is unquestioned
"Accomplished Canadian folk-country singer, Cori Brewster, returns with her fourth album, a wonderful collection of (mainly) self-penned songs inspired by her family and characters associated with them over the past hundred years or so in Banff. With an ear for a great melody and the storyteller’s insight for spinning a compelling yarn, Brewster puts both and more, on display with such compelling songs as My Familiar Sky, inspired by long-distance love letters written almost eighty years ago, or Diamond Hitch which explores the lives of the pioneers of the Canadian Rockies more than 140 years ago. With vocal inflections that sound clear-as-mountain-stream authentic, Brewster’s songs of love’s travails and the struggle to find meaning in hard times, really strike home on tunes such as Written In My Name, That Was Hell and the wonderful Take Me Back To Ireland a Celtic-tinged song yearning for Ireland and inspired by her great-great grandfather who moved to Canada during the Irish famine of the 1800s.
The title tune examines the way that the original Stoney/Nakota inhabitants of Alberta were badly treated by the Canadian government as their freedom, lands and hunting rights were taken away from them. Told simply and without malice or bitterness this makes quite an impact and serves as a terrific introduction for a varied set that reveals folk music’s rich and evolving traditions. She closes with Across The Great Divide a cover of the late, under-appreciated contemporary folk stylist, Kate Wolf (an influence on Nanci Griffith), and it’s one of those songs that fits in seamlessly to the whole collection. Throughout Brewster’s passionate vocals and expressive lyrics are true and affecting, moreover, the acoustic guitar work courtesy of Dave Clarke and Adam Dobres on this CD is nothing short of phenomenal. Highly recommended."
Edmonton Journal-Roger Levesque"Buffalo Street is a fascinating set of historical portraits translated into song, by this gifted singer-songwriter...personalized with atmosphere, imagery and entertaining details".
CKUA-Bob Chelmick (Road Home)"When I heard 'Buffalo Street', I just felt like giving you the biggest hug for creating such a gorgeous collection of stories...you have found the fulfillment of your musical calling in these kind of moving character sketches... I love a good story, a great melody, and an artist who brings a passion to her work - and lets it live in her songs. That's why I feel so grateful for 'Buffalo Street''.
CFMU-Jim Marino"I will play all of it...I think it is (so far) the best of 09...what a gem, a winner from beginning to end".
See Magazine-Curtis Wright"With this release, Brewster joins a distinguished group of Albertan vocalists — people like the legendary Ian Tyson and that hurtin’ Albertan, Corb Lund — who share her affinity for storytelling and times gone by".
Herizon Magazine-Cindy Filipenko"Cori Brewster writes songs that capture the essence of a place better than most...Brewster has handily managed to turn these narratives into engaging folk songs.The musicianship on Buffalo Street is top notch..., Buffalo Street is an important one, as it represents folk music in the truest sense, recording history through lyric and melody, so that a culture’s important moments are not lost. Give this woman an Order of Canada for telling us about what Banff was before it became just another tourist Mecca".
Calgary Folk Festival 2009 Songwriting Contest The Winners! Best Song of Alberta (sponsored by Burnswest Corp.)3rd place My Familiar Sky - Cori Brewster