---

San Diego Troubadour
May 2002 Vol. 1, No. 8

Breaking the Silence
Tracy Niles
By Dave Garcia

I have had the privilege and pleasure of listening to Tracy Niles in concert live with a full back-up band. The impact of her bluesy delivery was easily felt by the audience's heart-felt response. Even with a good mix, though, it can be difficult for a gifted singer/songwriter to genuinely communicate feelings and experiences when competing with the band's power. So I was pleasantly surprised when I played this CD and heard Tracy's voice and acoustic guitar coming through my Civic's speakers.

Strong lyrics and "Joplenesque" vocal delivery in track one's "Higher Road" set the scene for nine more tracks of pure Niles' vocals, enveloped in a simple, yet well-recorded acoustic set. In "You're My Way Home" (track #2), she takes the listener on a textured vocal journey through guttural growls into delicate falsetto highs.

Throughout this project Niles sings her points of view regarding the ambiguous highs and discouraging lows of relationships and experiences. You also get a sense that she is moving away from some painful past and treading steadily toward a freer future. "I've crawled out on my knees ... breaking the silence I am free" (track #6, "Out Of The Shadows").

Breaking The Silence was recorded at Big Rock Studios and nicely engineered and mastered by Andy Machin. More information on this CD and Tracy Niles can be found at www.tracyniles.com