From Deborah Nichols, Program Director, KRZA-FM Community Radio, Alamosa, Colorado, March 7, 2008:

"As Program and Music Director for KRZA-FM, I sometimes preview 100 CDs a week, in genres as diverse as goth rock, Delta blues, progressive jazz, Americana, traditional Celtic and everything in between. I don’t spend much time listening to individual CDs because I have too many other things to do. Usually I just sample four or five tracks so I can categorize the music and get a general feel for the caliber of the performance. That’s usually what I do, but as soon as I heard the opening notes of Widow Maker’s The Awful Truth, they had me. I sat and listened to the whole CD, start to finish, thoroughly enjoyed it, and considered the time to be well spent. I’m not an expert in bluegrass or any other kind of music, but I know what I like when I hear it. I like music that sounds authentic and is well performed. In the bluegrass and “folk” categories, I’ve heard a lot of CDs by independent artists who come up short on one or both of those criteria. Not Widow Maker. My testament to their authenticity is that I listened to several tunes, thinking, “This is good material. I wonder where they found these songs.” Then I checked the composer credits and realized that all the songs are originals. You want authenticity? Listen to the first two tracks. These people know about butchering hogs and living through a flood. They also know how to express through memorable lyrics what they know about human nature. To wit: You talk sweet to me to put me in the mood, but I don’t want no gum somebody else has chewed. Or: One more cup of coffee and I’ll be on my way. Some liquid motivation to help me with my day. I’ll be speeding down the highway of the things that I have planned. I think I see my inspiration right around the bend. While several of Widow Maker’s songs are straightforward expressions of love, loss and/or betrayal, others serve up satisfying portions of sarcasm and irony. These are two of my favorite literary dishes. I was pleased to find them on Widow Maker’s bill of fare. The musical settings for their lyrics are also refreshingly diverse. “Toe tappers,” story songs and laments are here, but so are honky-tonk, country blues and even rockabilly, all performed with equal facility. Some of the solos are truly masterful. The vocal harmonies are tight and at times quite captivating. I was already impressed with the quality of the musicianship when I read the sentence that told me the recording was done in a living room over the course of “a few very cold days” in Calgary. I said it aloud then and I will repeat it in writing here. Wow! WOW! I’m going to classify The Awful Truth as bluegrass, but that label is inadequate to encompass the breadth and depth of this CD. I will, therefore, recommend it to every KRZA DJ who has expressed any interest whatsoever in acoustic music: folk, bluegrass, country or blues."

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Roy Muniz	3/9/2008 3:17:55 AM I really love your music, I look forward to filling my day with it 'round here...all respect; roymuniz
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