Americana Alt.Country CD Reviews

Casey Weston
'Young Heart' (2015)
'Find The Moon' (2013)
Both albums Self-Released
www.caseyweston.com

Reviewing music is sometimes a balancing act. I was already familiar with young and talented Casey's work, as I received her previous album 'Find The Moon' and I played some tracks in my radio show. Although she pursued a pop sound for her country music, she worked with some great musicians then: Larry Stewart, Dan Dugmore, Tammy Rogers King and Glen Duncan. Casey also turned out to be a sweetheart, who always takes time out on the social media to thank the DJ's and radio stations who play her songs.

On this new CD 'Young Heart' the pop sound takes over, besides 'real' musicians there are synthesizers and drum computers. But... Casey still has that gorgeous voice and for a person her age, she writes good songs. So, I decided to write about her!

Casey's BIO:

While her family enjoyed their backyard volleyball court and her friends were engaged in all the typical high school activities, Casey Weston picked up a guitar and fell in love with writing music. From the start, she appreciated the immediate feedback, both good and bad, to her work as she began to perform before live audiences at bars, coffee shops, malls and parks in her home town of Naples, Florida. In that sleepy beach town Casey developed her unique singing style and songwriting. The distance from music centers like Los Angeles, Nashville and New York provided Casey the freedom to learn and explore music on her own terms and to develop her distinctive vocal characteristics. By fifteen, she had a local following and would soon open for national touring acts such as James Otto and Craig Morgan.

On April 7, 2009, Casey won first place in the regional Colgate Country Showdown in Arcadia, Florida. That led to her opening before thousands of fans for such young stars as Justin Moore as well as seasoned Grammy winners like John Anderson. The real turning point, however, came with her being named a contestant on NBC’s inaugural season of 'The Voice'. Casey is recognized as one of the young stars whose combination of talent, personality and charisma helped launch the hit television show. Finishing number eight in the final competition, where she eventually bowed out in a head-to-head contest with the show’s ultimate winner, Javier Colon. In that first season the fans were not allowed to put two members of the same team into the finals together. While on 'The Voice' Casey was called 'Little Stevie Nicks' by pop music star Cee Lo Green, lauded by country music star Blake Shelton and told she was 'destined to be a star' by her coach and mentor Adam Levine. She earned her place in a national tour, which allowed her to play with serious musicians and exposed her to leading industry professionals.

Again, all of this occurred before she had even graduated from high school. Finally, with diploma in hand, she moved to Nashville in the Fall of 2011 and committed herself to her music full time. Once the rest of the world got to know of Casey’s talent she has played at music festivals with the likes of Brantly Gilbert, Kellie Pickler, Blackberry Smoke, Maggie Rose, Bush Hawg, Drake White, Michael Ray, Randy Houser and Tim McGraw. Casey has performed the National Anthem in front of tens of thousands of fans for NASCAR at the Bojangles 500 at Darlington, for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins.

Since 2009, Casey has collaborated with a number of Nashville musicians and co-writers. She has written, produced and released two albums: a self-titled release at the end of 2009 with 10 tracks and the second in February 2013: a 13 track album called 'Find The Moon'. Both albums contain music & lyrics that Casey wrote or co-wrote. She has received very positive responses for her releases. In December 2014 Casey released the single "Fallin' For A Lie" and then in February 2015 her next full album: 'Young Heart'. To date, Casey has produced three music videos: "Ain’t Life Beautiful That Way", "The Good Times" (directed by Bill Rogers) and "Back To The Start" (directed by Patrick Tohill). What remains constant throughout them all is Casey’s vocal. Her sound is pure and original. When Casey sings it is effortless to listen and easy to fall in love with her voice. In addition to her writing and recording career, Casey has become a sought-after entertainer, headlining in over seventy shows a year at venues around the country. “I love the work of Gavin DeGraw, Ben Rector, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks”, she says, “but I still feel the inspiration of the music that came before me - The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger. My songs tell a story, like theirs do, and I hope - touch the heart of people of all generations, not just mine”.

Casey with Stevie Nicks

Whether it's on line or in person, Casey has constantly been finding ways to produce new music and reach new audiences. She stays in touch and continues to build her fan base through her touring schedule. Her voice is pure and original, she is just as comfortable performing with just her guitar, with her full band, or backed by a full orchestra. Casey’s relaxed personalized style on stage and sense of humor help her make friends and build her audience beyond the hearts of the twelve million viewers she captivated while on television. She may be young but her work ethic and performance experience help her project a welcome balance of youthful energy and approach of a road-tested touring musician and performer. She is rapidly earning the reputation from music professionals as a seasoned professional that promoters and music colleagues and other bands performing with her can count on whether performing for five or five thousand!

In 2015 Casey was selected by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) as one of seventeen talented unsigned songwriters that will make up the ASCAP Guidance from Publishers for Songwriters (GPS) Project Class aimed to display unsigned writers for our publishing community. As she continues to open for a growing list of the nation’s top performers and as she hones her skills as a writer and entertainer, Casey Weston, not yet 23 years old, is building a strong, solid reputation.

Casey with John Anderson

Casey with Roy Clark