Album Notes

*** RECIPIENT OF THE 2004 BEST BLUES RECORDING AWARD (Washington Area Music Association) *** *** NOMINATED FOR CROSS-GENRE ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD (Washington Area Music Association) *** *************** BLUES REVUE MAGAZINE (OCT/NOV 2004): "Melanie Mason's second album's title is an accurate description of the poignant songs within. Mason's supple guitar work is exemplary throughout. She slides and picks with an obvious understanding of the desolate qualities that make this music so timeless. 'Lonesome Is I' is proof that low-down country blues doesn't need to be a boys' club. It's a beautifully rendered album that expresses the sorrow, pain and the hopelessness long-gone bluesmen experienced." --Hal Horowitz, Blues Revue Magazine *************** ABOUT THIS CD: From the D.C area artist hailed by The Washington Post as "a promising newcomer who's drawn comparisons to Bonnie Raitt" comes a follow-up release to her award-winning debut album, "Bendin' the Blues." Fans of Mason's electric blues-rock guitar work may be surprised to hear her "go acoustic," but those who have seen her as a solo opening act for Don McLean, Little Feat's Barrere & Tackett and D.C.'s Little Bit of Blues already know that she is equally at home in an acoustic setting. "Lonesome Is I," titled after the first line of the Mississippi John Hurt waltz, "Nobody Cares for Me," covers Mason's favorite acoustic country blues songs, plus a couple she penned herself. In addition to Hurt, Mason interprets the songs of blues legends Mance Lipscomb, Robert Johnson, Reverend Robert Wilkins and Blind Willie McTell. "Lonesome Is I" was recorded by award-winning producer and engineer Chris Biondo, known for his work with the late Eva Cassidy. Mason dedicates this solo album to her father, who died when she was a year and a half old. The guitar on the album cover belonged to her father, who played guitar in his spare time. Although she never got to hear him perform, family members have told Mason that her father was "a damn good picker." *************** ABOUT MASON'S OTHER CDs: Mason's debut CD, the electric band "Bendin' the Blues," won the 2001 Blues Recording Award from the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA), and held the #1 top-selling blues album spot on CD Baby for over three years. It is currently in the #2 spot. Just recently, Mason released her third album with her band, "Live at Blues Alley," a compelling live performance recorded at the legendary Blues Alley -- the nation's oldest continuing jazz supper club. *************** DISCOGRAPHY: "Bendin' the Blues," 2001 (www.cdbaby.com/group/mmason) "Lonesome Is I," 2004 "Live at Blues Alley," 2005 (www.cdbaby.com/group/mmason) *************** HIGHLIGHTS: >> #1 top-selling blues artist on CD Baby from 2001 - 2004 >> Opening act for Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Robert Cray, Don McLean, Robin Trower, Little Feat guitarists Barrere & Tackett, and more >> Regional WETA-TV promo appearances for Martin Scorsese's "The Blues" film series >> Winner of the 2003 D.C. Blues Society International Blues Challenge >> Winner of two "Best Blues Recording" awards from the Washington Area Music Association ("Bendin' the Blues," 2001; and "Lonesome Is I," 2004) *************** FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information about Mason and her band, visit www.melaniemason.com. Please spread the word about this up and coming artist. Thank you for supporting independent music!