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"She is a deep and funky wonder....muscularly musical..."
- Frank Goodman, Puremusic (Nashville)

To view Cara's EPK please visit www.sonicbids.com/CaraLuft 

Cara Luft likes to laugh. She does it a lot. It's one of the first things you notice when meeting her, that and her engaging smile. It's endearing and infectious. Nothing pretentious about her, Cara's the real deal. What you see is what you get from the former founding member of Juno award winning folk music trio The Wailin' Jennys. And that sense of honesty, integrity, personality and spontaneity permeates and resonates throughout both her music and her live performances. After all, what other folk-based artist unabashedly cites Buddy Holly, prog-rockers Yes, and even Led Zeppelin among their inspirations and influences?

Singer/songwriter/guitarist extraordinaire Cara Luft is that rare artist steeped in folk and traditional roots music almost from birth yet willing to alter that fabric, stretch the boundaries, not afraid to bend genres, styles and integrate what others might regard as a disparate set of influences. Her music has been described as "a rich roots travelogue whose traditional heart beats with a wholly contemporary pulse spanning the distance between the mists of English folk balladry and Middle East mysticism, through to the Mississippi Delta and the rustic wonders of the Appalachian Hills, with a certain fearless reverence and no small amount of soul." (Ottawa Xpress) Americana UK declares her "a consummate performer. Unlike so many singer-songwriters, Luft's music has an urgency that can't be denied." Critics have drawn comparisons to Julie Miller, June Tabor, Gillian Welch, Linda Thompson and even Brit folk-rockers Pentangle.

The Light Fantastic (Black Hen Music, 2007), Cara's latest solo album, produced by 54-40 frontman Neil Osborne and engineered by Warne Livesey (Matthew Good, Midnight Oil), has garnered superlatives far and wide. Reviewers fell over themselves in praising her original material, her distinctiveness and daring mix of styles, her execution and her eclectic approach drawing on folk, roots, Elizabethan and rock. Her songwriting is always evocative and insightful, her guitar playing fully accomplished and intricate, her voice distinctive, compelling and heartfelt. Cara's choice of cover songs, notably the traditional Olde English ballad "Lord Roslyn's Daughter" and the timeless English folk classic "Black Mountain Side" reflect her innate understanding of the traditional folk form redefined within a contemporary context.

Born into a folk musical family in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Cara played with dulcimers and autoharps while her peers played with Barbies and Nintendo. Music was an integral part of her growing up experience. In her early twenties she struck out on her own, recording two EPs and the Prairie Music Award-nominated album Tempting the Storm (2000) which signaled the arrival of a major talent. Based in Winnipeg, Cara has become a widely-respected and well-traveled member of the Canadian folk/roots music community. She has graced the stage at Lilith Fair and been invited to perform at the prestigious International Guitar Festival in the UK. With The Wailin' Jennys she created one of the most talked about folk groups of the last ten years and recorded the exquisite 40 Days, winner of the 2005 Juno award for Best Roots Recording (Group). Since leaving the trio she has wowed audiences and critics with her solo performances across North America and Europe.

Leave it to Canadian music elder statesman Terry David Mulligan to sum it up best: "This is her time and this is the album. Make way for Cara Luft before she kicks your door down."

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Promo photo 1--
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What people are saying:

"Cara's new record is great, real, and heartfelt - as she is. No fluff or extra notes - just the good stuff!" - Buddy Miller - guitarist, Emmy Lou Harris

"This is her time, this is her year and THIS is the album. Ladies and Gentlemen, make room in your music world for Cara Luft. Songwriting as good as any I heard in all of 2006, begins my 2007... and just when you think you've got her style and passion nailed down she busts out in a completely different direction. Take the song Theres a train... it's like a modern day version of Buffalo Springfield's Bluebird... soft, gentle folksy beginning and then 3 minutes in, the song kicks into a rocking finish that stays with you long after the cd is over. And that's just the first track on The Light Fantastic. As I said, make room for Cara Luft...before she kicks your door down!" - Terry David Mulligan - Host, CKUA

"I just had the privilege to listen to a few tracks from Cara Luft`s new album "The Light Fantastic." [These tracks] are indeed fantastic and I hope it is not too long before she graces our UK shores!" - Robert Mills - Maverick Magazine (UK)

"... a truly lovely concert, brilliantly performed, and an artistic success. Cara and Hugh were delightful to work with in every way, and were utterly gracious and professional every step of the way. I would be thrilled to have them back!" - Paul Symes - Presenter, The Black Sheep Inn, PQ

"Listening to Cara Luft is like sipping a fine cognac, warm and smooth at the beginning, stirringly captivating by the end!" James Hodges - Roadside Attractions, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

"Cara Luft comes from folk singing parents and a lifetime of guitar playing, her rhythm work on acoustic is truly dense, muscularly musical. She rocks. But that's just a turn of the diamond, as her ballad of the forgotten, "Untitled," reveals. She is a deep and funky wonder." - Frank Goodman - Puremusic

"Cara's voice, songwriting, guitar playing, energy, passion, fire, sense of humor, and zest for life make her a great addition to any festival lineup." - Rick Fenton - Former Artistic Director, Winnipeg Folk Festival

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings say:
"You blew me away!" - Tom Wilson 
"Cara Luft... I love the way she plays guitar and am very much looking forward to her new musical adventures, post Wailin' Jenny's. Go Cara go!" - Stephen Fearing

"Cara Luft's been listening to the right stuff way out there in Canada... This third album shows an abiding love of good old Brit trad and a canny way of writing her own remarkable folk rock grooves. On the up escalator for sure." - Simon Jones - fRoots Magazine, UK

"It was a privilege and a delight to present Cara Luft at the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain - It is always exciting when you see a 'new name' captivate an audience. A return invitation is our highest accolade!" - Rob Smith - Festival Director, The International Guitar Festival of Great Britain

"Luft possesses a strong, clear voice that's perfectly suited for this sort of semi-acoustic material. [Her latest CD] Tempting The Storm is much more interesting than many of the heavily financed folk-pop [albums] released by major labels this year." - Bartley Kives - Entertainment Writer, Winnipeg Free Press

"Another prodigious young talent arrives on the folk scene from Canada. Luft has a lovely voice by far the centerpiece of the album and is comfortable whether singing her own songs or reworking vocation-themed traditionals ("My Johnny Was A Shoemaker," "The Blacksmith"). "Come All You Sailors" is a spirited opener that brings all the pieces together, featuring the whole band at their best." - Adam McKibbin - Suite101.com

"A stunning performance from a talented songwriter!" - Andy Worthington - Department of Entertainment and Leisure Services, Birkenhead, UK

"While wearing her folk influences on her sleeve, Luft never lets Tempting The Storm drag or fall into simply a great rendition of the expected. These are good folk tunes Luft has crafted with the ability to go beyond the fourth fret - the woman can play!" - Jan Braun - Entertainment Writer, Imprint (University of Waterloo)