Rachelle van Zanten
Back to Francois
© 2006 Rachelle van Zanten Music (844667000115)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
"Punishing slide guitar that would make Jimmy Page blush"- See Magazine (2005)
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"After 11 years in the trenches, Canadian slide guitarist Rachelle van Zanten is done with bands. She just released her first solo album, Back to Francois, which is packed with funky blues riffs and stellar slide performances. The surprise is that van Zanten juxtaposes her gutsy guitar playing with very personal and introspective lyrics- a stylistic trait she attributes to her diverse influences." (Guitar Player Magazine-Oct. 2006)
"Rachelle van Zanten has come a long way from her bluegrass upbringing in the foothills of northern British Columbia. For over a decade, this Canadian slide guitarist and songwriter has been working out her soulful blues riffs and turning heads. When the award-winning Painting Daisies dissolved in late 2005, van Zanten seized the opportunity to launch her solo career, recording her "fresh and rootsy" solo debut Back to Francois with producer Joby Baker. Baker has since assumed the role of drummer, accompanying van Zanten on an exhaustive tour that has thrust this up-and-coming artist into the international limelight." (FFward Mag- Nov. 2006)
"Simply put, this woman is the total package. A fabulous musician on keyboards and guitar, particularily on acoustic and electric slide guitar, a great voice and a strong songwriter with excellent pop and rock sensibilities." (Ottawa Citizen- Oct. 2006)
In Rachelle's "spare time", she produces and directs Western Canada's Rocker Girl Camp (www.rockergirlcamp.com), a 5 day music camp for girls age 10-16.
reviews
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Back to Francois
author: Larry SkinnerJust heard it for the first time,loved it.Where is this Francois.I was just in a Francois in NL.
Delicious
author: Steve YorkeI saw RvZ play at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival this year. Her scorching guitar work really left an impression on me, so I ordered her album. It's incredible. "Take Me Right Back" has been playing in my head ever since. The album itself sounds like the love-child of Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell. Mmmmm. Delicious.
Awesome talent!
author: LauraLove the style, though it's not usually what I buy. Heard "Take me right back" on a German radio station, funnily enough, and fell in love with Rachelle's music
Blues and then some
author: Les ReynoldsWhile classifying Rachelle van Zanten as a blueswoman might be correct, the young Canadian guitarist/vocalist is also creative and brings a host of innovation and genre-crossing sounds to her newest CD "Back to Francois." And, she proves she can go from vicious slide attack to easy folksy strumming with seamless ease. While both versions of the title track have "hit single" written all over them, there are also gems on the playlist in the spooky "Bannister Man" and the bouncy "Yah Yahs" with its wicked and dark slide guitar work. The only thing left to say is: encore!
Rachelle van Zanten
author: Kathryn Wetmore-KomloI really can't say anymore than the others have said. Rachelle is awesome. I really hope she makes it to the Atlanta, GA area. Every song is different on this CD, so many artists are stuck in one sound and it gets boring. Boring is not ever going to be a label given to Rachelle. People in my office are asking, "Who is that?" Can't wait to hear more of her.
Back to Francois
author: John RourkeMy guitar teacher just got back from playing a festival in Canada and took time to catch as many acts as he could during his free time. Far and away the act that made the biggest dent on his discriminating ear drums was Rachelle. After a lesson where we broke down some of Robert Johnsons playing in "spanish" tuning we listened to Back to Fancois in its entirety. I just plain loved it. This created a small problem for me. When I fall in love with an album on first listening it usually means it will have a short shelf life, and I will move along quickly to the next flavor of the day.( I dont listen to music. I consume it, breathe it and, well, consume it). Not the case this time. This disc has legs and is on heavy rotation, and likley will be till all the zeros and ones are worn off the disc. The playing, production and sequencing are just right. (Why are drummers such good producers anyway?). Rachelle is a very muscular yet lyrical guitarist in her own right. Lets not even start with the taught muscular prose of her lyrics. She seems an old soul to me. She pays attention to her world and pays it its due. She clearly understands that the whole of any object is in its details. She does not exploit these details rather she seems to just respectfully point them out like a naturalist walking a group through a Canadian praire.
back to francois
author: andrew doolanA well balanced cd excellent production and rachelle is superb
AWESOME
author: Kathryn Wetmore-KomloI love this lady! I really hope she will tour the US and make it down to Atlanta some time soon!
I loved Rachelle since the first time I heard her play.
author: Lili VandrlaanOne of the best CD's that I have acquired lately. I know I will play it and play it and play it again. Lili Vanderlaan
Absolutely top draw album
author: Paul DaviesMy RVZ Back to Francois arrived this week and ive been knocked backwards by what i believe to be a truly superb album, i wait with anticipation for her next .... keep rocking girl xxx
- author: Guitar Player Magazine- Oct. 2006
"After 11 years in the trenches, Canadian slide guitarist Rachelle van Zanten is done with bands. She just released her first solo album, Back to Francois [rachellevanzanten.com], which is packed with funky blues riffs and stellar slide performances. The surprise is that van Zanten juxtaposes her gutsy guitar playing with very personal and introspective lyrics- a stylistic trait she attributes to her diverse influences." by Katie Garibaldi
- author: Groove Magazine
"Excuse me Mark Knopfler and Brian May but i've found a new guitar hero...It's been a long time since I have listened to a record that has this kind of quality all the way through..."
- author: NYA Wermlands-Tidningen (Sweden)
A dream come true...I have fallen for the Canadian songwriter with heartaching, good songs. 'Back to Francois' is both mellow and beautiful. The boys leave the girls alone in the rehearsal room and far away from dangerous hormones and they will come out as sensual guitar heroes.
- author: Stave Magazine
Oz is behind the curtain working the pulleys and whistles and wowzer bang boomers of this website, but she wanted me to know she knows her good music, and sent this little tidbit to my earwaves… Dirty, dirty, dirty. Up under my fingernails. Making my face feel sweaty. I can chew on this. So can you. Rachelle van Zanten is a yet another Canadian with the kind of musical muscle that spits in the eye of American musical arrogance. This is gritty, poppy, bluesy, slide laden guitar work with catchy tunes and comfy vocals. Needless to say, I’m into girls who can play like the boys, and I especially like the girls who take on the “good ol’ boy” modem of bottle neck fretwork. Resonators, dobros, slide guitars, and all that good southern fried magic comes to the Canadian Great Northwest, and it’s turning my perfectly round radar scan a little left of elliptical.
- author: Ottawa Citizen
"For those of you who like surprises and discoveries with your festival experience, you could do worse than to check out Rachelle van Zanten. Simply put, this woman is the total package. A fabulous musician on keyboards and guitar, particularily on acoustic and electric slide guitar, a great voice and a strong songwriter with excellent pop and rock sensibilities. The material on this solo debut ranges from the stark January , to the nonsense songalong Yah Yahs, to the countryish Down to California, with harmonies from Mae Moore that make the tune sound like those great old Emmylou Harris- Linda Ronstadt duets. But the highlight of the session is undoubtedly the rocky Take Me Right Back, a workout with her mentor slide sensation Lester Quitzau, that'll get you up and jumping..." by Norm Provencher
- author: Ostlendingen- Norway
"Magnificant solo debut...she is the best when she does the country blues...Down to California is a song that Lucinda Williams wished she would have wrote...quality from Canada"