Gareth Jenkins on Ghost Tattoo
I truly love the energy of good hot picking as well as celestial harmonies, but perhaps more than anything I love a well-crafted song that
Northern Sky Reviews on Ghost Tattoo
There’s a touch of velvet ingrained in the songs on Ghost Tattoo, where each performance is treated to polished and uncluttered instrumentation with Kristen Grainger’s
No Depression magazine on Ghost Tattoo
On “Ghost Tattoo,” Kristen Grainger & True North Go Beyond Skin Deep Sometimes the most gentle approach accentuates the power in a lyric. Kristen Grainger
Bluegrass Today on Ghost Tattoo
The honesty and good intent encompassing the whole of Kristen Grainger & True North’s Ghost Tattoo, an album that elevates them into a rarified position
Take Effect on Ghost Tattoo
Listen to Ghost Tattoo A very impressive ensemble here, Kristen Grainger brings her strong vocal prowess as multi-instrumentalists Dan Wetzel, Martin Stevens and Josh Adkins
CD Hotlist on Ghost Tattoo
These days, when acoustic music doesn’t fit cleanly into a folk or bluegrass or old-time category, it tends to get designated as “Americana.” It’s as
Americana UK on Ghost Tattoo
Hailing from across the state of Oregon, Kristen Grainger & True North define their music as “Pacific Northwest Americana,” which, given the diverse subject matter
Tom May on Ghost Tattoo
“Ghost Tattoo” features some of the very brightest, most intelligent music being performed today – in an evocative synthesis of folk and bluegrass that is
FATEA Records on Ghost Tattoo
Performing variously a duo and a quartet, both formats feature multi-instrumentalist Dan Wetzel and Grainger, former communications director for Oregon Governor Kate Brown. On album
Ink 19 on Ghost Tattoo
Kristen Grainger & True North are a pleasant Americana band from the Pacific Northwest. They are accomplished musicians with obvious experience on the bluegrass circuit.
Green Man Review on Ghost Tattoo
One of the ways I distinguish what’s called Americana music from its relatives bluegrass and old-time is its tendency to lean more toward a cultural
Americana Highways
Kristen Grainger & True North, Ghost Tattoo. Folk meets bluegrass on this latest album from the Oregon-based Kristen Grainger and her band True North, which
"The musicianship is excellent as is Grainger’s vocal work, but the album’s greatest strength may be the material."
"As a writer, I suppose it’s natural for me to have a soft spot for well-written lyrics. I was gobsmacked, though, at some of the turns of phrase on the latest record from Oregonian Kristen Grainger."
“Kristen Grainger’s singing is perfection. No gimmicks, nothing superfluous. Just amazing tone and killer songwriting. They [True North] are the perfect modern bluegrass band… Focusing around the terrific lead vocals of Kristen Grainger, the band shows what can happen when great songs meet great singers… This is a band making wonderful musical choices. They are going deeper than mere instrumental wind sprints and reworked standards. Highly recommended.”
"Sometimes the most gentle approach accentuates the power in a lyric. Kristen Grainger & True North prove that again and again."
"These are powerful and emotional songs. This slice of Americana deserves to be spread a little further than America's Northwest."
"The music of True North is a contemporary blend of bluegrass sensibilities, singer/songwriter craft and a spirit that is willing to go where the song leads them. The harmonies of Kristen and co-band leader and husband Dan Wetzel are beautiful and reveal an intimate depth to them."
"The songs ring with resolute determination even though they ply each of their arrangements with carefully considered subtlety and finesse."
"What are front and center are Grainger’s songwriting, which is graceful and intelligent, and her singing, which is beautiful but plainspoken and becomes heart-stopping when combined in harmony with that of guitarist Dan Wetzel." the musical reputation of True North.”