Rj Cowdery

Rj Cowdery
IN THIS LIGHT
Blue Rock Artists


Magnificent melodies and heartfelt emotions shimmer IN THIS LIGHT

Ohio native Rj Cowdery openly admits that she’s something of a late bloomer. Holding down a real job for years and years, Rj released her debut album in the middle of the closing decade of last century and then settled back into the ‘everyday’ of every succeeding day. While music continued to pervade Rj’s leisure hours, she finally cast her songs to their fate in the public domain a handful of years ago. Drawing on decades of knowledge, like a magnet Cowdery’s words and melodies attracted accolades and songwriting awards fro Mountain Stage NewSong Contest (2007), the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Song Contest (2008) and Wildflower! Music & Arts Festival Singer/Songwriter Contest (2011). Her third recording, IN THIS LIGHT, was recorded in ‘paradise’ aka Wimberley’s Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio and produced by facility co-owner Billy Crockett. Chris Maresh (acoustic, electric bass) and Rick Richards (percussion) furnish the backbone on most of the album’s eleven selections, and Rj’s voice and acoustic guitar are also supported by hallmark contributions from Crockett (piano, pump organ, mandolin), Cindy Cashdollar (weisenborn, dobro, lap steel, national steel, resonator guitar), Dirjie Smith (cello), Pierce Pettis (harmonica) an Jonathan Byrd (vocals).

Magnificently mellifluous from the outset, Cowdery opens with the album title song. Having thrown ‘some wishes’ into a well, the narrator relates how she subsequently: ‘ran like hell’ because: ‘I think I’m better off if I don’t know.” There’s a possible autobiographical undercurrent at play here, as the narrator subsequently relates: ‘Threw down my guard step into the light.’ The rest, I guess, is history as related in the opening paragraph of this review. mankind’s daily struggles are woven into the fabric of Other Side Of Love and I’ll Keep trying. Blind Side focuses on a cheating husband, while Snow is a seasonal road song set in a cold motel room and closes with the cinematic and succinct: ‘Damn this winter get me to June.” The narrator in Far Away paints a portrait of a hardscrabble life: ‘All this living is surely killing me.’ Assisted vocally by Byrd, in the five-minute plus Not Going Home, the narrator having been shot and lying in a pool of blood’ reflects on someday spinning off this mortal coil: ‘ I don’t see the light so I’m not going home.’ The latter title segues into a short reprise of the well-know gospel song I’ll Fly Away. This is an eminently listenable collection that bears repeated hearing, and closes with the sonically bare caution Whiskey. Cowdery’s voice and guitar are accompanied solely by Crockett’s pump organ, the lyric being an ‘open letter’ to that warm yet seductive and addictive spirit in the bottle.
Arthur Wood - Maverick Magazine
Jan/Feb 2012 - Maverick Magazine/ Hand Publishing

“Rj Cowdery's music and lyrics bring you into her life story and as you listen you find yourself asking, "How'd she know that about me?"
You'll welcome her in as an old friend.” 
- Sue and Bruce Andrews, Cot and Crackers House Concerts - Sue and Bruce Andrews

“Rj Cowdery's music and lyrics bring you into her life story and as you listen you find yourself asking, "How'd she know that about me?"
You'll welcome her in as an old friend.” 
- Sue and Bruce Andrews, Cot and Crackers House Concerts - Sue and Bruce Andrews

“There is no possible way to listen to Rj Cowdery’s music and not feel deeply. The tone of her voice, the clarity of her guitar and spot on emotive lyrics plumb the depths of human hope and struggle. These are not just songs, they are arrows shot directly to center of the heart”.
-Joe Crookston, singer songwriter - Joe Crookston quote

“There is no possible way to listen to Rj Cowdery’s music and not feel deeply. The tone of her voice, the clarity of her guitar and spot on emotive lyrics plumb the depths of human hope and struggle. These are not just songs, they are arrows shot directly to center of the heart”.
-Joe Crookston, singer songwriter - JC

“I put on Rj Cowdery and I AM IN LOVE!!!
This is by far one of the best CD’s I’ve heard on 2011!!” - Sam Tallerico, Cold Spring Radio

“I put on Rj Cowdery and I AM IN LOVE!!!
This is by far one of the best CD’s I’ve heard on 2011!!” - Sam Tallerico, Cold Spring Radio

“Fantastic bunch of songs! I was torn between wanting to hear each successive song and savoring the one I’d just heard. This is just wonderful.” - Charlie Silvestri, Homegrown RadioNJ

“Fantastic bunch of songs! I was torn between wanting to hear each successive song and savoring the one I’d just heard. This is just wonderful.” - Charlie Silvestri, Homegrown RadioNJ

“‘In This Light,’ the tender and brave new album by Rj Cowdery, leaves the door to her soul open a crack and invites you to come in and see the world from her perspective. Every song draws you deeper into her world, where lyrics are gold and her smooth alto reigns supreme.  It is inevitable that every one of these eleven tracks will soon be someone's new favorite song.”
- Rebecca Loebe, Performing Songwriter, NBC’s “The Voice,” Finalist - Rebecca Loebe

“‘In This Light,’ the tender and brave new album by Rj Cowdery, leaves the door to her soul open a crack and invites you to come in and see the world from her perspective. Every song draws you deeper into her world, where lyrics are gold and her smooth alto reigns supreme.  It is inevitable that every one of these eleven tracks will soon be someone's new favorite song.”
- Rebecca Loebe, Performing Songwriter, NBC’s “The Voice,” Finalist - Rebecca Loebe

Cowdery struck me like lightening when I first encountered her at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Unassuming, honest, deeply emotional, self-deprecatingly charming and funny, Rj has just crafted a beautiful album that any fan of contemporary folk should put on the top of their wish list.”
- Amy Speace, Performing Songwriter - Amy Speace

“Every Rj Cowdery song is a quiet thrill-a shotgun seat on a ride of the heart. I am so impressed by her unfiltered emotion, set in haunting lines of melody and guitar craft. She’s rare, and I’m proud of this album we made.”
- Billy Crockett, Producer - Billy Crockett

“This is an incredible album and without question it is one of my top favorites of the year. Every track
is fabulous and the production is excellent. It's such a pleasure to receive an album like this, it really makes me excited to know that gems like this are still out there being made by great independent artists."
Mark Michaelis, WGDH - Mark Michaelis

Plucky guitar notes and a powerhouse voice usher ‘In This Light’ onto the stage. Rj Cowdery starts with a confession. “found myself at a wishing well, threw in some wishes and I ran like hell”. As the title track plays out, her early-on disclosure rides alongside clear vocals to make her words believable. Rj Cowdery writes from, about and to the heart. Her songs run through a universal bloodline, that common thread making it nearly impossible to not feel as much as hear RJ’s music. Her voice has control of the song, whether the backing is country folk/rock (“Heartburn”), mountain jams (“Whiskey”), lonely motel room blues (“Snow”) or diary page folk (“I’ll Keep Trying”). Rj Cowdery is a singer/songwriter with the ability to work her way into your mind, setting up residence over the course of a single song.

Danny McCloskey
Alternate Root featured artist 11-1-11 - Alternate Root

Plucky guitar notes and a powerhouse voice usher ‘In This Light’ onto the stage. Rj Cowdery starts with a confession. “found myself at a wishing well, threw in some wishes and I ran like hell”. As the title track plays out, her early-on disclosure rides alongside clear vocals to make her words believable. Rj Cowdery writes from, about and to the heart. Her songs run through a universal bloodline, that common thread making it nearly impossible to not feel as much as hear RJ’s music. Her voice has control of the song, whether the backing is country folk/rock (“Heartburn”), mountain jams (“Whiskey”), lonely motel room blues (“Snow”) or diary page folk (“I’ll Keep Trying”). Rj Cowdery is a singer/songwriter with the ability to work her way into your mind, setting up residence over the course of a single song.

Danny McCloskey
Alternate Root featured artist 11-1-11 - Alternate Root

"Among this year's very talented pool of finalists in the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, RJ truly differentiated herself with well-crafted songs, a natural yet confident stage presence, and a beautiful voice that perfectly complements her guitar playing. I'm a big fan, and look forward to watching her career unfold."


-Gar Ragland, music producer and NewSong Director

- Gar Ragland

“‘In This Light,’ the tender and brave new album by Rj Cowdery, leaves the door to her soul open a crack and invites you to come in and see the world from her perspective. Every song draws you deeper into her world, where lyrics are gold and her smooth alto reigns supreme.  It is inevitable that every one of these eleven tracks will soon be someone's new favorite song.”
- Rebecca Loebe, Performing Songwriter, NBC’s “The Voice,” Finalist - Robecca Loebe

"The world of songwriters is clogged with thousands of kind souls who work their rears off in an attempt to clearly convey a fraction of what RJ Cowdery completes with each verse of each song. RJ must have been sneaking around my younger days with an old Nikon. Yours too. She's recently developed our collective past and touched it up brilliantly on her new release "One More Door". A stellar accomplishment! But, the only way to truly know her music is to see her live. Go to her site right now and plan on catching a show. You will instantly realize why she won at Mountain Stage New Song and Kerrville.The world of songwriters is clogged with thousands of kind souls who work their rears off in an attempt to clearly convey a fraction of what RJ Cowdery completes with each verse of each song. RJ must have been sneaking around my younger days with an old Nikon. Yours too. She's recently developed our collective past and touched it up brilliantly on her new release "One More Door". A stellar accomplishment! But, the only way to truly know her music is to see her live. Go to her site right now and plan on catching a show. You will instantly realize why she won at Mountain Stage New Song and Kerrville." - singer-songwriter, producer

RJ Cowdery is a darling of the US Folk Music circuit. Based on Columbus, Ohio, Cowdery broke through in the mid-1990's. Life got in the way for a few years, but in 2007 she returned with the critically acclaimed One More Door. The album itself was recorded live with members of Public Radio's Mountain Stage band. The Todd Burge produced album features Don Dixon on bass, who has previously produced artists such as R.E.M., Marti Jones, Kim Carnes, Hootie & The Blowfish and Marshall Crenshaw, amongst others.

Cowdery has a very straight-forward voice with just a hint of country twang. There is a plain beauty in her singing that is instantly recognizable and constantly subdued in the words she sings. The album opens with These Ties That Bind, showing how the gifts of filial love become the promise of our tomorrows. This song has a great melody and great hooks and could easily play to both pop and country audiences (think Indigo Girls at the top of their game with a country accent). One More Door is a regretful look back at lovers who've gone their separate ways.

State Of Mine has the chance to be a real country hit. It's a "don't let the door hit you on the way out" sort of a song, and couches its frustration in wit ("It's a matter of time and a little bit of wine / that keeps me feeling fine in this state of mind"). It's a thinking person's get lost song. Now And Then is a sweet recollection of youth and is sure to be a long time concert favorite for RJ Cowdery. Other highlights include Too Fast, There She Goes and Hold On.

RJ Cowdery is likely to be much appreciated to anyone who actually hears her. She's managed to be lauded at Folk Festivals including a 2008 New Folk Winner at Kerrville the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival; the Folk Alliance Official Showcase and Falcon Ridge. One More Door is a quintessential American folk album, and has several songs that will fit nicely into The Great American Songbook. If folk, country or singer-songwriter genres appeal to you then One More Door is essential listening. If you're looking to broaden your horizons into one of those areas then this is a great place to start.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

- Wildy's World

Take one look at the cover of RJ Cowdery’s “One More Door.” What do you see? Somebody’s mom. Don’t let that sway you. Put on the CD. You don’t have to listen closely. Cowdery doesn’t sound like anybody’s mom. Her voice is rich. It carries smooth and steady, like a road leading to home. Full of wisdom and soul, Cowdery knows to pace herself. As she says, she’ll keep driving until there’s “one more door to go.”
At first glance, her album appears to be bland. The track listing shows cliché song titles, titles to songs already written, like “There She Goes,” “Hold On,” “These Ties that Bind” and “I Believe.” But don’t judge a CD by its cover. In each song, it’s the way that Cowdery gets to the hook that makes her different from other songwriters.
For example, in “These Ties that Bind,” Cowdery sings about the support of a good family—how members stand by and help each other grow up and face the world. “I Believe” presses the importance of taking it slow. While many songwriters sing about letting go of the past, Cowdery says, “Hold on.” Sometimes uncool, these beliefs add a spark of originality to her classic country/acoustic record.
Cowdery’s sound is reminiscent of the Indigo Girls in both tone and melody. However, she’s safer than that, quietly revolutionary and feminist. That’s not to imply that she’s boring. Rather, the songs on this album lilt and sway like a rocking chairs on a porch.
It’s polished, but not over produced. This comes courtesy of her backing band. Percussionist Ammed Solomon and guitarist Michael Lipton are with International Public Radio’s Mountain Stage, and legendary producer Don Dixon plays bass. Their influences can be heard gently and sporadically throughout each song. Guitar harmonizes behind the vocal melody, sometimes lush and graceful, sometimes melancholy. Bass lines seep into the background, adding a homey weight to the texture of the album.
RJ Cowdery offers comfort, solace, and one more door.
Words By: Anney Ryan

Skope Entertainment



- Skope Entertainment

"Rj Cowdery is one of the most compelling writers i've run across so far this
century...though her songs bear her unmistakable stamp, they are so well
concieved that you could swear you've heard them before, sung by a folk legend
in Kerrville or at a writer's circle at The Bluebird..."
- Singer songwriter producer