Bev Grant

"Though Ina May Wool and Bev Grant are both contemporary folk veterans, they come from pretty different places musically - Ina May as a character-driven singer-songwriter and Bev as topical songwriter - which makes their collaboration as a duo all the more intriguing and satisfying." - quotation

Wool&Grant
Wild Women Don’t Worry…
By Richard Cuccaro
It’s difficult to express how much enjoyment I got out of hearing the old chestnut, “Wild Women,” written by Ida Cox and sung by Wool&Grant on a recent John Platt Sunday Morning Breakfast Show on WFUV-FM. The song is one of a host of gems from their new self-titled debut CD. I knew it was Ina May and Bev because I’d heard them before and their sound is immediately recognizable. There’s something of a country twang in Ina May Wool’s voice that increases the veracity in her songs about life’s travails and victories. There’s a Buffy Sainte-Marie-like quaver and a power in the voice of Bev Grant that helps raise a person’s social awareness when it happens to be her goal. Together, Wool&Grant possess a sweet blend and a one-two punch that invites all kinds of “strong women” references.
Their joined voices provide a wealth of pleasure, no matter what direction their music takes them. Their combined experience and backgrounds add to their vocal affinity. Both women started making music when they were very young and both of their paths make fascinating stories. The song, “Wild Women” is a perfect fit for them and I found out why. There’s been plenty of wildness in their lives. read more....

http://acousticlive.com/acoustic_live/July_2013.html - Acoustic Live

Ina May Wool and Bev Grant have struck a rare metal vein with the blend of their voices and their songwriting. In addition to the feistiness they inject into songs about the battle between the sexes, there’s the social awareness avenue exemplified by “Get The Frack Outta Here.” With lines like, Natural gas, kiss my natural ass / Get the frack out of here, I’m glad they’re on our side. They’ve been a team since the beginning of 2011, so it’s a little late, but… ladies, consider this an official “Welcome.”
Richard Cuccaro
- Acoustic Live (NERFA Scrapbook)

No, not The Avengers - they’re doing just fine without me, thank you. Last night, I joined the throng at the local cineplex to be TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY! by the crashing and thrashing and Tony Stark wisecracks. I’m writing instead in praise of, and with a big salute to, three musical groups, each the aggregate of the skills and talents of solo artists who have joined forces to make something new and fresh and powerful. There is something really exciting about a group of performers who listen so well to each other, who create a blended sound that is genuinely greater than the sum of its parts - particularly when, as in these examples, the parts are pretty damn good on their own.

Ina May Wool and Bev Grant carved out impressive solo careers on two coasts (Ina May in New England, Bev out West) and then in the Big Apple - each a smart interpreter of modern life, of memories and dreams, of the rough and tumble of campaigns won and lost, in love, in the political arena, in how we grow. Their singer-songwriter careers are each marked by success and acclaim, with honors and awards and recognition from peers and the public. They are very different creative artists with a shared passion for truth, clarity and urgency in their writing, and they have come together as WOOL&GRANT to form one of the freshest, most compelling new “supergroups” of the past few years. A WOOL&GRANT concert is a bracing, heady brew of laughs, joyous rhythms, open-hearted confessionals and rousing choruses. There’s really no other duo out there presenting this combination of comfort and combustion. Check them out at http://www.reverbnation.com/woolgrant and make it a point to go out to hear them sing. WOOL&GRANT - by tbo2010

by David Malachowski

Renowned singer-songwriters Ina May Wool and Bev Grant have joined together as a duo, with simply stunning results. Both singers live in New York City, but still, there are many ties to this area. They used bass genius Tony Levin and drum legend Jerry Marotta, as well as his Dreamland Studios. Notable New York City guitarist/keyboardist Daniel A. Weiss co-produced this with Wool & Grant and co-wrote some of the tunes.

It starts off with the forceful “Nothing On Me,” as the two sing an inspiring ode to the freedom of burning bridges and having nothing to lose. “Black Ice” is simply jaw dropping; Levin weaves around Wool’s enticing voice, intricate guitar along with Weiss’ swirling organ. Its breathtakingly beautiful, but the midst of the beauty, she sings clever lines like, “and your generous heart / and your love of cake” or “with your black jeans on/and your very large head.” Who else would do that?




The jazzy “I Remember Love” is a longing look back on romance through vintage glasses. With the down home “Last Man On The Mountain,” Grant takes on the voice of a wise older man versus the coal business. On a sadly similar theme (and one that will be close to the heart of many Hudson Valley residents) is “Get The Frack Outta Here,” as they sing about the man coming to town with his checkbook. Soon the hedonistic “Lonely One” has Wool wound up and swaying to an island rhythm.

In the snappy “America,” Grant lets loose with a musical genealogy lesson that should be the new national anthem. Finally Wool & Grant turn up the heat with the spirited “Wild Women,” and you know, they are in the best sense of the phrase.

Listening to Wool should be mandatory for aspiring singers who think vocal gymnastics are the point. No kids, it’s depth, emotion and conviction, and Grant can show them that that taking a stand still means something. Years ago artists would sing about injustice and, now they’re too scared to rock the boat, because their real goal is fame, not music. It’s obvious where Wool & Grant’s priorities are, their whole lives have been about music, and they live and die for it.

Extremely well produced, played, written and sung, this gorgeous record proves not only you can get older and better, but brilliant.
- Daily Freeman