A vocalist with an uncommon command of her luminous voice and an organic, soulful and dramatic sense of phrasing a lyric, Seattle native Courtney Cutchins is also a vivid storyteller and prolific songwriter, as she demonstrates on her genre-bending debut album, Grunge to Grace (Laseryn). Along with six stirring originals, the jazz-educated singer (she earned a Master of Music degree in Jazz Vocal Performance from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music) re-imagines three ‘90s anthems from her Seattle youth by grunge rock luminaires Soundgarden and Nirvana. Interpreted through her deeply-rooted jazz filter, these songs take on a new life while still conveying the feelings of anxiety, anguish and social alienation that underscored the original versions.
The album features the acclaimed dream team of GRAMMY-winning pianist/producer David Cook (Taylor Swift, Mark Guiliana, Lizz Wright), guitarist Nir Felder (Keyon Harrold, Terri Lyne Carrington), bassist Matt Clohesy (Darcy James Argue, Maria Schneider) and drummer Obed Calvaire (JLCO, Cecile McLorin Salvant).
A vocalist with an uncommon command of her luminous voice and an organic, soulful and dramatic sense of phrasing a lyric, Seattle native Courtney Cutchins is also a vivid storyteller and prolific songwriter, as she demonstrates on her genre-bending debut album, Grunge to Grace (Laseryn). Along with six stirring originals, the jazz-educated singer (she earned a Master of Music degree in Jazz Vocal Performance from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music) re-imagines three ‘90s anthems from her Seattle youth by grunge rock luminaires Soundgarden and Nirvana. Interpreted through her deeply-rooted jazz filter, these songs take on a new life while still conveying the feelings of anxiety, anguish and social alienation that underscored the original versions.
The album features the acclaimed dream team of GRAMMY-winning pianist/producer David Cook (Taylor Swift, Mark Guiliana, Lizz Wright), guitarist Nir Felder (Keyon Harrold, Terri Lyne Carrington), bassist Matt Clohesy (Darcy James Argue, Maria Schneider) and drummer Obed Calvaire (JLCO, Cecile McLorin Salvant).