Erik
Balkey in the Press
Perfomance Reviews
Steve Key, concert presenter and
songwriter:
“Like Bill Morrissey, he finds poetry in the ruins of romance,
such as how "holding onto the past is like holding your breath."
Like Buddy Mondlock, he tells of the sometimes lonely life of the
road and the sweet taste of freedom. Like Bill Staines, he listens
to many other writers and pays tribute to their craft and spirit.
Erik Balkey brings together his storytelling, balladry, feathery voice
and humor into a unique and pleasing performance.”
Jonathan Wright: House Concert Review:
Erik performed for a packed house of my friends and colleagues. I
eagerly anticipated his performance and had high expectations for
his set. Erik somehow managed to exceed even those high expectations.
While Erik is an effective performer in all types of settings, he
absolutely shined in the quiet, intimate house concert setting where
listeners could fully appreciate the emotional subtleties of his craft.
From his carefully selected song selection to his humorous and revealingly
personal stage banter, Erik provided one of the most magical sets
I have seen from any stage. I am honored that he has been a part of
my series.
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CD: “My Sacred Heart” reviews
David Kleiner, minor7th.com:
"A synthesizer note swells and floats through space, the first
sound you hear on 'My Sacred Heart.' It declares that Erik Balkey
will use a wider sonic palette than before. Balkey still writes lovely,
instantly hummable melodies and delivers them in a sweet, high hush...
'My Sacred Heart' finds a serious artist expanding his reach with
an inward look both thoughtful and tuneful."
Rob Lincoln, cdreviewsonline.com:
"Another fine collection of songs from the increasingly prolific
award-winning songwriter. In 'My Sacred Heart,' Erik Balkey explores
new territory while still remaining grounded in the best aspects of
acoustic singer-songwriting. From the opening track, an intimate yet
powerful reading of Dylan's 'What Good Am I,' through the various
originals, Balkey creates a sense of immediacy with his quiet understated
delivery of his material.
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CD: “Mission Street Project” reviews
Rob Lincoln, cdreviewsonline.com:
"A treasure trove of new socially conscious songs that need to
be heard."
David Kleiner, minor7th.com:
"You'll find insightful story songs about regular folks, co-writes
with the best songwriters you probably never heard of, simple melodies,
lovely harmonies, tasteful instrumental support, a few well-chosen
covers, and sincerity you won't hear out of the White House."
Richard Cuccaro, Acoustic Live In
NYC:
Woody's heritage is safely in the hands of Erik Balkey and his friends.
Mission Street Project brings intelligent and poignant stories set
to inspirational melodies from the heart of America.
Folk Radio Quotes:
JIM COLBERT, The Folk Show (WPSU, State College, PA): "Mission
Street Project's 'Liberty Tree' is stunning. Woody Guthrie would be
proud."
CLINT HARDING, Blue Highways (KOPN, Columbia, MO): "I have a
problem... I just can't seem to quit listening to Mission Street Project."
EDDIE RUSSELL, Back to the Dirt (Columbus, TX): "....holy perfecto
and pass the praise for Mission Street Project. Award deserving, it
really moved me... first-class songwriting skills."
AL KNIOLA, Back Porch (WVPE, South Bend, IN): "I really liked
the Mission Street album! Laurie MacAllister has a super voice! The
harmony blend with her is really nice."
JOHN BOMMARITO (Folk MD, WHFR Dearborn, MI): "You should be
very proud of the Mission Street Project. Good, thought provoking
songs like these need to be heard!"
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CD: Sanctuary Road reviews
Performing Songwriter DIY review
January/February 2006:
Northeasterner, Erik Balkey has been making waves across the country
with his articulate songs. His latest release SANCTUARY ROAD should
only serve to raise him higher up the ladder of independant musicians.
Highlights include "Alway One More Round". Searing lines
are delicately delivered in Balkeys' whispering voice while a mandolin
softens lyrics about the difficulty of loving an alcoholic. "Someone
To Call" starts off a capella before acoustic guitar joins angelic
background vocals as Balkey sings the praises of a new-found love.
Balkey's compositions will add fuel to his already burning fire.
Richard Cuccaro, Acoustic Live:
With not much more than a wisp of a voice, Erik Balkey dropped a career
in Engineering off like so much dirty laundry and hit the road, painting
houses and writing songs. Good thing, too. He gets better with each
CD. This one features originals, co-writes and covers that deserve
both the readers' attention and national radio airplay. Duke Levine's
guitar is all over this one. The album leads off with a winner, "In
Your Silence." Like many other wandering troubadors, songs about
the road find their way into the repertoire. Nobody lives it more
and does them better than Erik. The sparse electric piano is perfect
here. An inspiring cover that especially deserves to be heard all
over the airwaves is Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air."
Erik's lead vocal is splendid. However, the stroke of genius is that
he teams up with Chris Chandler who delivers a background rant that
would peel the paint off a lot of corporate board rooms if given a
chance. Renderings of Dave Carter's "Winter When She Goes"
and Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love" (a duet with Bonnie
Lee Panda) are top-notch. There are also live tracks from the Kerrville
Folk Festival that provide more excitement. Well worth owning.
Rob Lincoln, Philadelphia Songwriters'
Alliance:
Erik Balkey's third full-length CD is his most adventurous to date.
It contains no fewer than sixteen songs, six of which are live tracks
taken from either WUMB radio in Boston or the Kerrville Folk Festival
in Texas. However, the first 10 songs are studio tracks of new material.
Like his previous efforts, Balkey primarily records simple arrangements
of his songs that allow the listener to get inside the song rather
than be distracted by lots of other instruments. Unlike some of his
earlier efforts, however, "Sanctuary Road" has quite a variety
of sounds. In fact the CD begins without Balkey's trademark acoustic
guitar picking, instead favoring a sparse keyboard and vocal arrangement
for the opeing tune "In Your Silence."
When we get to cut seven on this CD, it becomes evident that Balkey
is not afraid to take chances. In a complete departure, he tackles
an obscure oldie "Something In The Air" and overlays it
with some provacative and timely political commentary from Chris Chandler.
Chandler's voice is riveting and it works beautifully in the context
of the old song.
Balkey uses cut ten, his final studio cut, to present one of the
most ambitious songs he's written to date, "Things Are Never
Really What They Seem." Lyrically it is a challenging song that
can covers a sensitive subject in a unique way. It is also my favorite
melody on the album.
So that about does it for the studio cuts -- the CD is worth its
price with just these ten songs -- but we haven't even gotten to the
high point of the collection. The real highlight of the album is the
live set at Kerrville. Hearing familiar Balkey songs like the aforementioned
"Someone To Call" and the poetic "Like Billy The Kid"
(from the CD "While the Paint Dries") performed before a
live audience gives them an even greater immediacy than their studio
versions. Balkey's stories and comments between songs also add considerably
to the listening experience.
The final two songs on the CD are perhaps the best he has ever written.
"Cut 'Em Down," a Balkey original co-written with Jonathon
Byrd is a striking song, with a classic Woody Guthrie feel and a powerful
message. It is performed about as loose and gritty as you'll ever
hear Balkey play and sing, but it is very effective. The disc ends
with "God's Poet Now," his best known song released on "While
the Paint Dries." The live version is quite emotional -- a perfect
culmination to a very satisfying CD.
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