Pieta Brown is a striking poet-songwriter with a haunting voice and an unmistakable style. Her unique blend of alt-country, folk, blues and indie-rock speaks to music fans around the world and has garnered rave reviews from the likes of the BBC and Boston Globe, as well as a variety of hip music blogs and indie radio stations. Even her own musical hero Iris DeMent is a fan, saying she is “the best poet I’ve heard in a long damn time.” An artist with cross-genre appeal, Pieta has toured with such diverse artists as John Prine, Ani Difranco, Calexico, J.J. Cale and Mason Jennings.Informed by her travels and the many places she has called home, Pieta writes story songs with beautiful landscapes and vibrant characters. And, coloring it all, a deep abiding saturation in folk and blues that’s beyond her years, showing she is a songwriter to be reckoned with and a talent too good to ignore.
The daughter of two preacher's kids, her early upbringing in Iowa was in a rural outpost with no furnace or running water. There, Pieta was exposed to traditional and rural folk music through her father, Greg Brown, the now beloved Midwestern folk singer. Later, while living with her mother in Alabama during her formative years, Pieta drew on and expanded these influences and began writing poetry and composing instrumental songs on piano.
By the time she left home at 18, Pieta had lived in at least 17 different houses and apartments between Iowa and Alabama. Staying true to the disjointed lifestyle of her childhood she wandered from the West Coast to the East. Each locale left its mark on her, accounting for an artist who brings together the unvarnished humility of Loretta Lynn, the honest modern rock punch of P.J. Harvey, the hipster swagger and poetry of Cat Power, and the airy sophistication of Feist.
After releasing two critically acclaimed albums in the last four years--Remember the Sun (2007) and In the Cool (2005)--Pieta has now signed with Red House Records. A natural addition to the label’s award-winning roster, she spent her early childhood in the very red house that gave the label its name. Her label debut Shimmer (2009) was an EP of stripped-down alt-country songs recorded by legendary producer Don Was (Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones). Hailed as “incisive and carefully crafted” (All Music Guide), it charted on Americana and folk radio.
Now, with her new CD One and All, Pieta proves she is “one of the best modern songwriters” (Sonic Boomers). Produced by Pieta and frequent collaborator Bo Ramsey, this compelling collection of original songs employs guitars, keyboards, and pedal steel to create hypnotic melodies and raw, soul-tinged grooves.
Pieta is currently touring in support of her new album and will be joining rock music icon Mark Knopfler for his entire 28-date North American tour.
