Carley Wolf - Set Sail - blurt-online.com/reviews/view/1651/
******* (seven stars)
By Fred Mills - Blurt-Online 11/18/09

Americana aficionados may find it faintly ludicrous, if not aggravating, that Norah Jones announces she's ditching MOR pop for roots music and every journalist on the planet wants to lick her piano pedals, but across the land deserving unknowns with far more authenticity and pizzazz than Jones continue to toil as, well, unknowns. I mention this only because (a) Jones is in the news right now; (b) and Austin songstress Carley Wolf has been compared to Jones in past reviews. Not necessarily without cause; at times she shares that same vulnerable, ingénue quality that's guaranteed to melt hearts. And her style touches upon pop, folk, country, jazz and even classical at times - a winning hybrid, just like Jones.

Still, one could do far worse than to take Wolf on her own terms. She terms her music "gypsy folk rock," and the jaunty, strummy opening track is called "Gypsy Soul Blues," so if label we must, those ain't too far off. In fact, "gypsy" may be the operative term here, as Wolf demonstrates her wanderlust across the course of these ten tracks. Abetted by players on loan from the Belleville Outfit, Shotgun Party and The Blue Hit, Wolf shines on such highlights as the gently lilting "Cold Dead Fingers," a countryish ballad reminiscent of some of Alejandro Escovedo's strings-laden compositions; the brushed-percussion, soul-jazz infused title track; and the European-flavored "Whole Hearted Lover," and uptempo blend of swing, blues and café culture. Wolf's a gifted multiinstrumentalist, by the way, playing at various points guitar, upright bass, mandolin, banjo, pump organ and keyboards.

Throughout, her expressive voice, terminally sexy but with an understated quality that gets under your skin through a slow process of seduction, remains the focus (credit to collaborators and coproducers Steve Collins and Jonathan Konya for recognizing that aural asset). Like her hero Tom Waits (she'll confirm that statement), it's a memorable voice that takes on its own singular identity, and as she charts her life, her loves and maybe even a few losses, too, you'll want to follow her path.

A musical nomad by any estimation, Wolf - like the cover rendering by artist Jet Whitt - proves to be a tempting mystery worth unraveling. Surprises await.

Standout Tracks: "Whole Hearted Lover," "Run Into the Sun," "Cold Dead Fingers"

Carley Wolf is currently touring with her band The Howls. Dates at her MySpace page: www.myspace.com/carleywolf.


Carley Wolf Set Sail -www.rambles.net/wolf_set09.html
By Jerome Clark Country/bluegrass editor Rambles.Net

One phrase comes to mind when one hears Set Sail -- "amiably eccentric" -- and another when one seeks to describe Carley Wolf's persona -- "hippie chick." I mean them both in the most generous possible way.

Judging from her photos, Wolf cannot have been born when the first generation of hippies roamed the Earth. Still, she must have something of the experience in her genes. A native Texan, she writes that she was "raised in the country with a loving musical family and a pack of wolves." Given her last name -- if that is indeed her birth name -- that can be read other than literally. Still, one of her videos shows her cavorting with ... well, they look rather like wolves, albeit with the friendly domestic character of dogs.

In any event, what matters for our purposes is that Set Sail is well above the usual singer-songwriter fare. Wolf has an impressively inventive musical imagination, in which she integrates multiple genres (jazz, gypsy rhythms, folk, pop) into a distinctively personal style. Her voice -- both literal and metaphorical -- is rich, supple and hard to resist whether it is waxing philosophical, gloomy, erotic or playful. Here and there, the songs turn lyrically and emotionally complex, but they are always accessible, resounding with a range of influences which ordinarily one doesn't expect to emanate from a single disc. I don't recall, for example, hearing anybody else who seems -- on occasion anyway -- like both Rickie Lee Jones and the Incredible String Band.

Multi-instrumentalist Wolf gets able backing from a four-piece band. One member is the ubiquitous fiddler Katy Rose Cox, and there's cello player David "Deemo" Moss. Jonathan Konya and Steve Collins handle mostly percussive instruments. Together, they create a shimmering, atmospheric sound while leaving the singing very much up front. I'm not sure you could call this "folk-rock" exactly. Perhaps the title song comes closest, and "Rocking Chair" is at least vaguely reminiscent of something traditional, maybe the Carter Family in an alternate reality. But whatever else it might be, Set Sail is among the most beautiful and intelligent -- and, in its own highly idiosyncratic fashion, rooted -- acoustic-pop records I've heard in the last year.


Carley Wolf: A musical jewel in wolf’s clothing
Venus Magazine; Marisa Iacobucci

When singer-songwriter Carley Wolf says she is “in tune with nature,” that’s putting things rather mildly. Raised in the country outside of Austin among a large family — including a music and animal–loving dad and pet wolves — it’s more natural to describe her as being madly in tune with nature and music. Possessed with a wild passion and a wandering gypsy soul, she’s about to break loose with her debut album, Set Sail.

Music is in Wolf’s blood. She started taking piano lessons at the age of seven, but she was already jamming with her dad long before then. Wolf plays piano, guitar, mandolin, upright bass, banjo, and anything else she can think of — figuring the more she learns on one instrument, the more she’ll learn about others. “I can’t help it!” she bursts, as one might before confessing to an addiction. “I can’t rest if I don’t play instruments.”

Wolf began writing music at the age of 12, around the same time she started her first all-girl band, the Clabber Girls. She went on to play in band after band and, by the time she graduated from high school, released her first EP thanks to a cousin who gave her studio time as a graduation gift.

While studying audio engineering at Texas State, Wolf completed a documentary thesis about her family’s musical history called Music Through the Bloodline. On her journey through Mexico, she discovered that her great-grandmother began playing harp at age three, composed her own songs, and eventually opened a dance school in her town.

It was while she was in college that Wolf also began writing the songs for Set Sail. She recorded the songs last year at the Troubadour in Lockhart, Texas with Steve Collins and John Konja, and the result is an impressive body of work for a “newcomer.” Using genres such as folk, rock, and bluegrass, Wolf sings with the chops of an old gypsy soul.

“My favourite song on the album is ‘Set Sail,’” she says. “It’s about the journey through life and about trusting that the universe will take care of you, no matter what happens. I wrote it when I was graduating from college and going through a lot of changes.”

Wolf counts some of her musical influence as Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, and Ella Fitzgerald — whom Wolf was first introduced to while researching jazz artists before putting out her first record of old blues songs. She also finds inspiration by attending live music performances near Austin, jamming in different groups, and supporting some of her local friends — such as up-and-coming jazz chanteuse, Kat Edmonson.

When asked how her music speaks to the spirit of these times, Wolf explains, “I’m not a political writer. I play music and hope to share my joy of playing music with others. I invite people to take a journey into a song, and if it helps people feel good and escape from the everyday worries and things going on in the world, then I know my music has gotten through to them.”


"Great Work" - Lloyd Maines


Carley Wolf's  “Set Sail” Independent release
CD REVIEWS - www.dmcityview.com/2009/12/03/music/check.html 
By Michael Swanger - City View Des Moines

Texas music is a melting pot of musical forms, as we’re reminded by Austin-based singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Carley Wolf’s new album, “Set Sail,” a stylistic mix of gypsy, folk, Mexican and Americana music. She and her band, The Howls, jangle their way through “Gypsy Soul Blues” and “To Bee” with the spirit of an itinerant group of musicians playing their way through the world for tips. But true to Wolf’s eclectic musical form, she and The Howls are equally at ease downshifting and gracefully gliding through tender ballads like “Cold Dead Fingers” and the chilling “Funeral Pyre.” Wolf’s acoustic sound has been compared to the likes of Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, Cat Power and Feist. But her lilting and breathy vocals remind me of Iowa’s own Iris DeMent.

Catching up with Carley Wolf and The Howls
By Junstine Chan - The Buzz Champaign IL
the217.com/articles/view/catching_up_with_carley_wolf_and_the_howls

Carley Wolf is both adorable and incredibly talented. Her voice has the plunge of high pure sweetness and her music is a captivating volcano of the crazy, the witty, the catchy, the eclectic, the honest and the ineffable. With the recent release of her album Set Sail, she and her Howls are themselves setting sail from Austin, Texas, for the first time as a fivesome, on a tour across the country to share their music and see the world.

buzz: What is the story behind your band name, Carley Wolf and The Howls? Is that your real name?

Carley Wolf: Yes, it is my real name. I chose “The Howls” because howls are my favorite sound in the whole world, and it just seemed to fit.

buzz: You play a number of instruments, including the banjo and the mandolin. How are you able to incorporate each of their sounds into your music?

CW: When I was recording, I was able to layer the different instruments in the songs and that was neat, but it is so much different when we’re playing live. My bass player, Gary James, can actually play guitar as well. During the show, we switch off so that sometimes I’m playing guitar, and sometime he will and then I can play all my different instruments. It works out nicely that way. I’d actually really like to play piano too. I have a piano at home, just no keyboard to take to shows.

buzz: How would you describe your sound?

CW: My sound is a mixture, I would say, of American roots music to jazz to folk to Appalachian music to gypsy music. I try to blend it all in a unique way so that sometimes it sounds like pop, and other times it has a darker, even classical sound.

buzz: You have played with other bands in the past. How is it different for you now that you’re with The Howls?

CW: It’s a really exciting time for me because I have my first album out and this is going to be our first big tour as a band together. For the first time, I’m in charge, and I love it — it is like my baby. It is such a dream come true to have my own band playing all my own music because I’d always wanted to do it my way. In the other bands, I was playing a lot of old time music but now, our music is a lot closer to me in that I feel I can be so much more invested in the music and the creative process.

buzz: How is the tour going? Do you have anything special in store for the Champaign concert?

CW: Right now, we’re still in the preparation stages — getting merchandise and contacting radio stations, trying to get the word out, basically. The past month we had a bunch of local gigs in Austin and to be touring outside of Texas is awesome. Do we have anything particularly special for the Champaign show? I guess just come and find out! I know we’ll be selling a lot of handmade stuff — I’m a very handmade person. There are screen printed tees, little zines that I’ve made, and other silly stuff like that.

Be sure to catch Carley Wolf and The Howls on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 8:00 p.m. at Mike ‘n’ Molly’s. Carley is joined by special guests Hathaways and Megan Johns.

Album Review Set Sail by Carley Wolf
Anna Maria Stjarnell
www.blog.collectedsounds.com/
Carley Wolf makes her debut with a confident, eclectic set that’s likely to attract many fans.
Opener Gypsy Soul Blues is raucous and fun, Wolf’s vocals set against a cute backing.
Run into the Sun has a sweet melody and a vocal that rapidly makes itself known.
Funeral Pyre is dark and dramatic in a Marissa Nadler way. It’s hushed rather than shouted, but the tension’s there and the sadness palpable.
Whole Hearted Lover is upbeat and lovely and shows off Wolf’s skills at their best.
Her debut’s a real treat.


"Carley Wolf is a rare talent with a gift for creating intrigue and a natural story teller. Her music is spell-binding both in the studio and on the stage." - Steve Collins