She's not yet 30, but singer-songwriter Garrison Starr has already seen the highs and lows of the music business. Her first recording was released shortly after she graduated from high school, and less than two years later she dropped out of college to pursue a full-time music career. Soon she was on a major U.S record label, receiving good reviews, and touring the States on the Lillith Fair circuit. But before she could work on her next project, Garrison Starr fell victim to the restructuring of Geffen Records, and found herself out of work and having to start over again.
Garrison Starr's comeback CD is entitled Airstreams And Satellites and the opening track on the new release is called "Gasoline."
Those bluesy guitar licks, and drawling vocals brings a young Lucinda Williams to mind, but that's Garrison Starr singing "Gasoline," off her new CD Airstreams And Satellites. And like her sound-alike, Garrison Starr spent her growing-up years in Mississippi, a southern U.S. state known for producing good musicians and storytellers. The songs Garrison Starr has written for Airstreams And Satellites are stories of female empowerment, love, heartbreak, and coming of age confusion. One of the highlights is the optimistic "Sing," an anthem about remaining positive in a world gone mad.
Being signed, lauded, and then dropped from a major record label before the age of 25 would cause a crisis of confidence for most performers. Garrison Starr is no exception. At the age of 22, she walked away from music, feeling unsure about her skills, and frustrated by a lack of creative control. A friend convinced her to move from Nashville to Los Angeles, and soon things began to change.
Garrison decided to go back to doing things her way, and then found herself back in the recording studio with veteran Steve Earle at the controls. Earle also issued an invitation for Garrison to be the opening act on what turned out to be an almost year-long tour. Once off the road, she re-entered the studio and began work on Airstreams And Satellites. The CD is made up of new material, with the except of "Superhero," a song from Garrison Starr's 1997 CD, Eighteen Over Me. The new version is a minute longer, and longtime fans will find that it rocks a bit harder than the original.
Despite her years on a major record label, and making several solid records, Garrison Starr is still unknown to many music fans. If you know someone into roots rock, likes good songwriting, or is searching for quality music that isn't overhyped or overproduced, tell them about Airstreams And Satellites.