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Stash Dauber Blogspot - January 2006
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In Texas Magazine - November 2005 Issue
MAREN MORRIS - SHARING HER GIFT
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MAVERICK Magazine (UK) - November 2005 Issue CD Review
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Ft Worth Star- Telegram Aug. 28, 2005 A TINY BUNDLE OF SOUL
Bowie High School sophomore Maren Morris definitely has soul. The evidence of this is not in the clothes she wears or how she behaves. It's in the songs she sings, and more and more people are listening. Although she has performed professionally since age 10, the self-described country, rock and blues singer-songwriter-guitarist reaffirmed her love for the music business this summer. She received a full scholarship to attend the first Grammy camp, held this month at Citrus College in Glendora, Calif., near Los Angeles. Morris, 15, of Grand Prairie, was the only North Texan to attend the nine-day camp, which gave 47 high school and early college-age students from around the country insight into the music business. Each teen-ager learned different aspects of the industry, such as singing-songwriting, music business and film-TV scoring. All participants performed in the camp's final showcase. "I didn't realize how important it was until I was there," Morris said. "It was a lot better for me because there were other people that understand what I'm doing." College faculty and various Grammy winners, nominees and staff educated the students on their chosen musical interests. Morris learned more about singing and songwriting. While there, she met professionals including David Foster, music producer and recent reality TV show star, R&B and hip-hop producer Jimmy Jam and Cheryl Bentyne of vocal jazz group The Manhattan Transfer. Before attending the camp, Morris had performed onstage with country music stars such as the Bellamy Brothers, Marty Stuart and Jack Ingram. Between singing in the choir and playing soccer at her school, she performs on weekends at clubs and bars in the Metroplex with her all-male band. She has also played venues in Austin, and is scheduled to perform during the State Fair of Texas in October. That will mark the first anniversary of the release of her 10-track debut CD, Walk On, on the BMI label. It was recently picked up by a national distribution company. Morris wrote eight of the songs on her debut album and said most of her inspiration came from life experiences or whatever was on her mind, to which she just added music. The title track, Walk On, is one of her favorites and will be featured in the opening credits of a Texas independent film, Sweetwater. The song talks about getting out of one place in life and moving forward. Morris said she would like to have a music career, especially since attending the camp. Grammy camp coordinator Matt Johnson said that all the students came in with tremendous talent but that Morris stood out because of her old-school country style. "The best thing about Maren is she's a tiny bundle of soul," Johnson said. "That's something that can't be taught at Grammy camp or anywhere else. It comes from deep inside, and she has it." The Texas Music Project, a nonprofit organization working to strengthen music communities and restore music education in schools statewide, provided Morris' scholarship to the camp. She has been a finalist for the project's "Texas 10 Under 20 Rising Star Showcase" for the past two years. "She's making serious music, not powder-puff stuff," said Bruce Orr, Texas Music Project president and co-founder. Morris said she still encounters people at the businesses where she performs who are skeptical of her abilities because of her age. "They're not used to people as young as me playing in their clubs," she said. "You know, give me a chance." |
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Fox 4's Good Day show - July 2005 Maren appeared on the Good Day show Friday, July 8, and performed two songs and did an interview. She even got to meet Supermodel Marcus Schenkenberg. Great people at Fox, one and all. |
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Village Records - June 2005 Ok, gang, here’s the deal. This gal is only fifteen years old. Like Lee Ann Rimes before her, she’s more than ready for the big time. Unlike Rimes she has chosen our genre where the music flows a lot more than the money does. She’s wise and talented way beyond her years and this disc is a real eye opener for us jaded worn down music lovers that are pushing fifty and beyond. This one gives me hope and lets me know that the circle just may stay unbroken after all. Maren garnered the attention of Lloyd Maines who contributes to the album. It reminds me of the first time that Linda Ronstadt made a solo album way back when. She may not achieve the lofty status of Rimes or even American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, but she will have left her mark with this stunning debut. This a self release until the rest of the world catches up. Here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor with this one. (Self Released) |
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Austin Chronicle - April 15, 2005 by Margaret Moser Maren Morris' Walk On, produced by local pop mentor Stephen Doster, will attract good notices no matter what the case, but the fact that she's a high school freshman makes her worth a second look. Morris' supple vocals highlight 10 tender songs of self-examination ("Girl I See") and growth ("Rain") amidst the wonder of life unfolding. Her tendency is toward country rock ("Help Wanted"), and here's hoping she follows her instincts. |
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GoGirlsMusic.com - 2005 by Heather Corcoran Maren Morris has experienced a lot in her life. From being in the finals at 2004-05 B.W. Stevenson Songwriters’ Competition to being a runner up in the Texas 10 Under 20 contest at the 2004-05 Dallas Guitar Show along with receiving critical acclaim by Dixie Chicks producer and steel guitarist extraordinaire Lloyd Maines, this chick has it all. And she’s only fifteen years old! Proving her maturity in her music, Maren wrote or co-wrote eight of the ten tracks on “Walk On”. Her voice is very lovely and moving, it’s an eternal dream of songs on her current release. Deep in the heart of Texas, this country crooner has created a beautiful, stunning masterpiece of songs that will surely receive a standing ovation from fans everywhere. With a displayed, unforgettable vocal range, Maren’s future is sure to be promising for such a talented, young lady! Hit Picks: "Walk On" and "Popular Girl" |
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Quick - The Dallas Morning News - April 7, 2005 Grand Prairie's Maren Morris, clocking in at a spry 14 years old, writes and sings country music with notorious depth and emotion and has shared the stage with Marty Stuart, the Bellamy Brothers and more. |
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Lone Star Time - February 2005
Maren Morris is one of the most named names in Texas these days. She debuts at the tender age of 14 with the album entitled "Walk On" after her participation in contests and festivals that helped spread her name in the Lone Star State music scene. People like Ed Burleson and Tommy Alverson appreciate her musicianship very much and, Lloyd Maines -- who plays on this CD said: "This girl has everything it takes to make it." Maren also has shared the stage with great artists like Marty Stuart, Jack Ingram and the Bellamy Brothers. At her age this is an exceptional accomplishment! "Walk On" is both an important point of arrival because of such a strong background, and a point of departure for a bright career for this talented songwriter with a great voice. Maren Morris' style is already mature and powerful, and, with a clever production by Stephen Doster, it mixes country music, some blues and soul influences (mainly thanks to tasteful 'southern' electric piano and organ inserts) and the freshness of rock. One of the things that impresses the listener most is her confidence when she approaches an impressive repertoire (eight songs of 10 are hers!) that ends with the intense feelings of her cover of Buddy and Julie Miller's "Help Wanted." "Hit the Ground," "Thank You," Popular Girl" (with outstanding pedal steel work by Lloyd Maines), "Rain," and "Better Days" are fine examples of top-rate musicianship that picks up from the classic sounds of the South. Maren's a singer full of personality and this debut is worth enjoying from beginning to end without a wasted song. www.marenmorris.com is the website of a very good singer and songwriter whose name will certainly be heard in the future. File under: Soulful Texas Music. |
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Buddy Magazine - December 2004
Now that Maren Morris is 14 years old
and releasing her first real CD, it's time to stop thinking of her as
a cute little girl and to listen seriously to what she's doing. First
impressions from Walk On include these: |
ABC Channel 8 - August 2004 Maren and band appeared on two different shows: Daybreak and Good Morning Texas. She performed two songs and was interviewed. |
Dallas Observer - May 2004
9 p.m., Poor Davids Pub Maren Morris is out past her curfew. A mere 14 years old, she opened tonight's 15th annual singer-songwriter competition at Poor David's with a handful of original tunes. Wearing an orange baseball cap with her T-shirt and jeans, she glides through her set like a pro, with an effortless twang to her voice. "God, I hate kids today," mutters the guy beside me. "What were you doing when you were 14?" Female singer-songwriters always get a bad rap, with their corny sincerity and dear-diary lyrics, but it's nice to sit down and listen to an artist who can just plain sing. Female performers tend toward one of two camps: those, like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, who can sing but not write; and those, like Liz Phair and Courtney Love, who can write but not sing. Rare is the woman who manages both. (Aimee Mann comes to mind.) (excerpted) |
Django Walker Newsletter - May 2003 Opening for Django were 13- year- old Maren Morris and east coast's The Lost Trailers. Maren Morris brought the room to their feet with 45 minutes of AWESOME, soulful vocals, guitar playing, and original songwriting. Janis Joplin would have been proud of Maren's rendition of "Me And Bobby McGee" which came deep from within the soul of a woman much older than 13. You MUST check this girl out when you have the opportunity. Visit her website at www.MarenMorris.com!
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TexasGigs.com - February 2003 OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES
In the music biz, all the hype in
the world won't do you much good if you don't have the chops. Artists,
vocalists, singer songwriters, musicians. Anybody can do it, but few can do it
well. And as an endless parade of new artists fills the radio waves then almost
as quickly fades away, there is an aching hunger for not only quality in music,
but also longevity. |
BUDDY Magazine June 2002
Standing ovations during both songs might have been a little
much, but the crowd at the recent Don Walser Benefit at Sons of Hermann Hall was
in a generous mood. Late in the evening, Maren Morris sang two songs with Ed
Burleson's band bringing a third of the audience to its feet on her first one
and pretty much everybody else to their feet during her second one. To someone
who just turned 12 in April, that might seem normal. |
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Arlington/Dallas Morning News Article 03/15/02 11-YEAR-OLD SINGER'S TALENT TIPS THE SCALES Fans marvel about depth of emotion she puts into her songs
Maren Morris can't always relate to the cheating hearts,
broken dreams and love gone bad she sings about. After all, she's only 11 years
old. But the Grand Prairie girl sings with such feeling, her fans
say, she could have fooled them. "She's got a lot of emotion when she sings – there's
not a little girl singing, there's a 35-year-old woman," said musician Doc
Wesson of the local band 3 Fools on 3 Stools, which Maren sometimes joins
onstage at the Texana Grill in Arlington. "She's got a lot of soul for a gal who's 11 years old.
She's just very convincing and very believable." Maren has been entertaining local crowds for more than a year
since she started performing at local and state events including singing the
national anthem at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. Last year, local guitarists Randy Langley and Gerald Sugg
started joining her at shows. Maren, a sixth-grade student at West Elementary School, said
she doesn't try to sing with feeling – it just happens. "I'm really glad I have my own voice," she said.
"I tried to sound like a lot of people, but I found I have my own
voice." Maren's next performance will be at 4 p.m. Sunday at a St.
Patrick's Day party at J. Gilligan's Bar & Grill in downtown Arlington. In addition, Maren is scheduled to perform at the Helping
Restore Ability Chili Cookoff fund-raiser March 23 at Trader's Village in Grand
Prairie and on March 24 at Poor David's Pub in Dallas. Mr. Wesson said he was so impressed when he first heard Maren
sing at a Fort Worth Stockyards event, he and a co-producer began to work with
her. They plan to record a few soulful country songs at first and
shoot for a major record deal. Mr. Wesson said he believes Maren has what it
takes to make it. "She can do anything that's got some meat and potatoes to
it," he said. "She's definitely not one of your candy country
singers." Texana Grill general manager Ed Greenwood said that his crowds
respond with "stunned silence" when they hear her sing Patsy Cline and
Janis Joplin songs. "She'll send chills up your spine," Mr. Greenwood
said. "The first time I saw her I was flabbergasted. It kind of blew me
away." Maren started singing when she was 5. Her parents, Scott and Kellie Morris, said they didn't realize
how much talent she had until she was about 8. That's when she blew away guests at a party when she sang the
LeAnn Rimes song "Blue," they said. By age 10, she was singing at Johnnie High's Country Music
Revue and taking private voice lessons. During the last year, Maren started singing at more
fund-raisers and music festivals. She was nervous at first about singing in
front of crowds, she said, but she's getting used to it. "I used to get really scared and close down," Maren
said. "I'm really shy, but it changes after three songs. They're not going
to boo you. If you mess up, it's OK because you're human." She said she dreams of stardom. "But I don't want to end up on Behind the Music or
anything," she said. Her parents said they are trying to help Maren develop her
talent and still have time for a regular sixth-grade student's life. The couple
owns the Maren Karsen Salon in North Arlington, named after Maren and her
8-year-old sister, Karsen. "Maren's a natural," Mrs. Morris said, adding that
each performance has led to another. "It's been a snowball effect." The young singer emphasized that nobody is pushing her to
sing. "I don't like it when people say to my parents, 'Let her
be a kid,' " Maren said. "They don't overwork me." Between shows and practice sessions, Maren said she goes to
the mall, listens to CDs, plays volleyball and does homework – just like any
other 11-year-old. |
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram Article 09/02/01
GROWN-UP SINGING TALENT
By BRIAN BUILTA |
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