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Toni Price Midnight Pumpkin |
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Track List
You can purchase this CD at Lonestar Records
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(Antone Records)
Toni Price seldom leaves Austin, except for an occasional date in Houston
or Dallas, or an even rarer journey for a show at the Bluebird Cafe. Her
regular Tuesday gig, called the "Happy Hour" (also referred to as
the "Hippie Hour") at the Continental Club, is a standing room only
affair, with lines to get in going out the door and wrapping around the
block. She has 5 highly acclaimed CDs under her belt, is the reigning
queen of the Austin music scene, and recently walked away with #1 Female
vocalist, the #1 Album (Midnight Pumpkin), and song of the year (for Call
Of My Heart) honors at the Austin Music Awards. So who is Toni Price, and why is this Austin sensation, with the sultry, whiskey soaked voice, not a big star? Toni was born in Philadelphia, and adopted by the Price family, who named her Luiese Esther. She lived in New Jersey until she started school, and then moved to Nashville with with her family. At the age of 10, she entered a talent show sponsored by the Parks Dept., and chose the name "Toni", after the then popular home perm kit, because she thought it sounded "French and kind of elegant." Ever since she was a child, she knew she wanted to be a singer. When she was older, she kicked around Nashville playing in various bands, but was getting nowhere. In 1989, manager Cameron Randle suggested she go to Texas and perform at the fledgling SXSW Conference. Toni hit Austin and immediately fell in love with it. She was stunned at the striking difference- in Nashville everybody hated everybody, everything was about competition, and everyone was accused of trying to make a play for each other's piece of the pie. In Austin, she found the atmosphere very different. Here the artists worked together, always extending a helping hand to each other. When Toni got to Austin, the reigning "Three Queens" were Lou Ann Barton, Marcia Ball and Angela Strehli. They welcomed her, taking her under their wing- and instead of the "get lost, get off my turf" attitude Toni found in Nashville, here she found a "jump on board sister- there's plenty of room" attitude. Toni found herself a new home, where she remains to this day.
So why with all this success, isn't she a
big star? Toni prefers things just the way they are. She likens "the
next step" at fame, to being paid to be put in a cage. Too many
limitations, too many compromises and too many sacrifices. She refuses
to be put in a cage, her music combines and transcends several different
sounds, and she is a staunch supporter of "music as art and not
product." Over the years, she's even taken on 2 of Austin's most "sacred
cows"- the SXSW foundation and The Austin Chronicle. She takes her music
very seriously, and is involved in every aspect, from the selection of
musicians to back her, to every step of the recording process, from
mixing to the artwork. Her top priority is being there and spending time
with her 7 year old daughter. She feels comfortable with where her
career is at now- she's making a very good living at it, and still has
the luxury of plenty of personal time with her daughter, as well
as other creative outlets, something she's unwilling to sacrifice to
take things to the next level at this point in her life.
Midnight Pumpkin is Toni's latest release,
and another solid effort which defies classification. With long time
collaborators Derek O'Brien, Scrappy Jud Newcomb, Casper Rawls and the
late Champ Hood (which stands as his last studio work, before his
passing last November), she draws on everything from country to blues to
rock to folk and even big band. "Start Of Something Good" blends blues,
rock and jazz, and she uses minor key vocals to provide a stark yet
upbeat feel to the song.
On Joe Tex's "I Want To Do Everything For You", Toni and Malford Milligan let it rip, gospel style. Then she's smooth as silk on the hauntingly beautiful weeper, "Something In The Water." "Right Kind Of Man" sounds like Toni would be right at home, had she been born a few decades earlier, singing for Glen Miller on this big band swing tune. "Measure For Measure" is sultry, smoldering blues. Toni also swerves off into O Brother territory, with a pair of songs, "Call Of My Heart" and "Darlin' ", which would make Ralph Stanley a very proud man. In the aptly titled Midnight Pumpkin, this very gifted and talented "Cinderella" gives us an eclectic collection of excellent songs that blur every musical boundary. For long time fans who have come to expect the unexpected from Toni, she provides further proof as to why her fans adore her, with another winning effort. For first time listeners to Toni, you're sure to fall under her charms, and find yourself asking, "Why isn't she a big star?"
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