Belgium Rootstime Magazine described her as “…a clear and pure voice…destined to appear on many stages…” and Yorkton this Week described her songs as “….there is honesty in her words…you can tell that she just wants to tell stories and the words flow as a result….”
Most people hearing Cathleen sing for the first time would be forgiven if they believed that she has always been singing. With a father who played guitar and a mother who sang at family parties, she comes by her musical ability naturally. Self-taught, she was 27 before she picked up the guitar to play or write her first song and didn’t record her debut album “Gypsy As I Go” until she was 35. Her voice is a contrast of vulnerability and sheer force, with a soulful depth stretching beyond her time as a performer. Her songs have seen airplay on both CBC radio and College Radio. Ottawa College Radio CKCU’s Thursday Morning Special Blend choose her song ‘What Comes Around Goes Around” from her debut CD “Gypsy As I Go” among the Top Ten of 2008 songs.
Independently released in March 2008, the title track from her debut “Gypsy As I Go” was described by Belgium Rootstime Magazine as “..the title track is of such good quality that we could hear Emmylou Harris or Natalie Merchant do a cover of it..” In early 2011, her song “Highway” from the debut album won a CBC Saskatchewan Canada Reads contest when paired with the novel “Unless by Carol Shields”, resulting in the inspiration for a new song “Stormy Seas” from her upcoming album titled “Brilliant Bright”. Recorded and co-produced at Mosaic Music in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan with award winning Recording Engineer and Professional Musician Rich McFarlane (SCMA Studio of the Year 2012, SCMA Guitarist of the Year 2012, 2003-2010) “Brilliant Bright” features her unique and emerging voice, where roots music and story meet soul. An eclectic mix of folk, alt country and soul rock-roots combined with 11 original songs written of love and loss, rolling grey prairie skies and redemption, she is a raw and genuine talent.
