Dear Companions,

It has been an eventful summer, with its share of ups and downs. One of the downs was when I fell off my bike right before our Tuolumne river trip, and the doctors suspected a wrist fracture. I wore a cast for two-plus weeks, after which time more x-rays revealed that it wasn't broken after all. The enforced no-play time was a small price to pay for such a happy outcome. The up side was that Scott Huffman joined me at the last

minute for the river trip, which was a good thing, since I couldn't play.

And people signed my cast (see photo at bottom of sidebar). All's well

that ends well!

For two weeks in August, the Right Hands were joined by bassist Todd Phillips. Todd relocated to Nashville, TN, and has spent the last two years touring extensively with Joan Baez, so it is rare that we get a chance to see each other, much less make music together. We played at the first Beavergrass Festival in Corvallis, OR, and we wish that charming center-

city event a long and healthy life. The amazing Alex Hargreaves joined us on fiddle, and the hometown crowd ate it up.

The latest issue of the venerable Sing Out! magazine has a great review of my newest CD. Here it is, in its entirety:

"Captivating from its opening notes, Blossoms continues the exceptional level of excellence Laurie Lewis has maintained throughout her career. Joining her are many outstanding musicians and vocalists, among them Tom Rozum, Kathy Kallick, the Burns Sisters, Darol Anger, Alex Hargreaves, Todd Phillips and Tim O'Brien, to name but a few.

Looking to the repertoire of Pete Seeger, Lewis, Kallick and Rozum open the recording a cappella with
"How Can I Keep From Singing?" setting the tone for this outstanding selection of 14 cuts, most of which are originals. It is Laurie's voice alone, solemnly singing "Return to the Fire," her nod to Vietnam veterans. For her instrumental "Sophie's House," Lewis has recruited Suzy Thompson to twin fiddle, no other instrumentation used. This is followed in sequence by the only other instrumental on the CD, "Beaver Creek," where Craig Smith picks banjo alongside Laurie's fiddle and Rozum's mandolin, giving a bright delivery on the traditional piece.

With mature, powerfully expressive vocals, Laurie easily switches her emotive voice to suit the occasion. From the lively "Burley Coulter's Song for Kate Helen Branch" to the reflective "Here Today" to showing off a humorous bent, singing with the Burns Sisters on "Cool Your Jets," written while stuck in a traffic jam, she embraces faithfully each subject at hand. A past love is revealed in her touching "Chains of Letters."

Lewis includes the exquisite "Unfinished Life," from the pen of the prolific Kate Wolf, one of her inspirations. "Lark in the Morning" by Kate MacLeod is also wonderfully portrayed.

With its instrumentation and guest musicians, this CD will not disappoint Laurie's bluegrass fans. Yet this project reaches far beyond, into the indistinct realm of folk, Americana and cutting-edge singer-songwriter. Blossoms is a stunning release, filled with extraordinary originality and musicality."

~Stephanie P. Ledgin,

Sing Out! Summer 2010

 Just above my review in the magazine, there's a very positive review of Nell Robinson's debut recording, half of which I produced. An excellent issue!