. Here's a combination you'd likely never expect in a sentence, let alone in a music review: Chutzpah and country music. The fact is, Erin Sax Seymour could proudly don the Miss Paradox sash: melancholy and upbeat, demure and spunky—all at one and all in the same cut. This multi-layered artist defies country(ish) music's stereotypical neat and tidy compartmentalization. Not for Seymour the classic country one note, I theme song. Sure there's the foundation of country music here: the basic beginning, middle and end approach to story telling. But Seymour infuses her storytelling with intriguing layers and abstracts. Ditto for her voice: straightforward yet you know after the first cut, "Peace Tonight", that there's something below the surface here. If you just listen hard enough you'll be rewarded for your persistence and patience. The second cut "Good Girl": opens with the initially disappointing corny fiddle and acoustic twang, the type that has you looking over your shoulder for the runaway train heading for the damsel distressed for want of a chivalrous passerby to untie her from those messy railroad tracks. But Seymour, a one-time documentary filmmaker, quickly switches gears and turns this track (the song variety, not the damsel-retaining type) into a gritty, un-girly ditty. The live "Signs of How this Ends" was created for Long Island Ice Tea -swigging on the front porch whilst swinging the sunset away. As the New Yorker urges: "Take this one on faith." Try as I might I couldn't come up with one comparison to anyone in my mental Rolodex, under the country heading. No wonder. I'd been flipping through the wrong category. Seymour doesn't remind me of any country artist because she really doesn't fit in that category herself—despite the steel guitar and spare harmonies. If comparisons are to be drawn (even if it's outside the lines) Seymour can be said to be equal parts Janis Joplin, a less nasal Pam Tillis (if a country reference is essential) and, well, YOU give it a shot. Hint: she lists Bonnie Raitt and Van Morrison as major influences. And forget the cutesy Jerry McGuire line: "You had me at Hello". Seymour had me by the end of her first cut wherein she slips in an excerpt of Harry Chapin's "Cat's In The Cradle". Simply lovely."

"I was bowled over by Erin Sax Seymour the first time I caught her set. Suffice to say, I've been back everytime she's performed. You should be there too!"
Indie Sounds NY - read the full interview

"The best unknown singer-songwriter in New York is Erin Sax Seymour. Tough and sweet, smart and streetwise, her melodies are mesmerizing. With echoes - and the songwriting gifts - of Lucinda Williams and Aimee Mann, Sax is the real thing, a star in the making."
Details Magazine

"Erin Sax Seymour is a performer that risks breaking your heart and mending it all at the same time."
Pop Stars

"One of New York's most exciting, young talents. A handful in the best of ways."
Detour Magazine

"With the songwriting skills of Nanci Griffith, the rawness of Johnny Cash and the mystery of Loretta Lynn, you're getting close to Erin Sax Seymour. A singer-songwriter at the beginning of a remarkable career."
VH1 Music

"A beautiful new voice, a great find."
Warner Bros. Film and TV