Mary Beth Cross to Release 'Feels Like Home' EP May 15th

Credit: Katy Tartakoff

DENVER (March 2016 PR) – Award-winning folk-Americana artist Mary Beth Cross will release an eight-song  bluegrass EP on May 15 that celebrates the importance of home in the lives of average, everyday Americans.

"Feels Like Home" will include original songs, as well as classics written and/or performed by legendary artists such as Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Garry White, Van Morrison, George Gershwin, and Dubose Howard. The recording will spotlight Cross's soaring, pure-tone soprano vocals. It was produced by veteran banjoist Chris Pandolfi, who joins nationally respected musicians Jeremy Garrett on fiddle, Tyler Grant on guitar, and Adrian Engfer on bass. The EP is dedicated to her late nephew, Christopher Chmiel, who died unexpectedly in 2015.

            "My latest project will include cover songs that are part of the tapestry of my upbringing in Wisconsin, as well as originals that reflect my current home in Colorado," said Cross, whose last project, "Beyond Good and Evil", was named "2014 Folk-Country CD of the Year" by the National Traditional Country Music Association. "We went with less is more, taking an approach that feels live, acoustic, down-to-earth, and not too far from home. Good memories or sad memories are evoked by some of my favorite songs."

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Cross plans to celebrate "Feels Like Home" with listening parties at Baur's listening roomand the Swallow Hill Music Association in Denver. She will attend at the IBMA Conference and Bluegrass Ramble in Raleigh, N.C. Among the covers is "Kathy's Song", a classic written and recorded by folk-pop legend Paul Simon. To listen to a preview release of the song from the EP, visit http://www.MaryBethCross.com .

Cross received national exposure in 2013 with release of her fourth CD, "Beyond Good and Evil". That project, which was produced by Dave Bechtel, landed a top-five ranking on Airplay Direct. Critics around the world praised the album, with Country Music News International calling it worthy of "Americana CD of the Year".

“I’ve discovered that people are yearning to find acceptance and solace in a dizzying world of pressure-filled expectations,” Cross added. “People long for an authentic, non-formula approach.

 An accomplished vocalist and tunesmith, Cross moved to Denver in the 1980s to pursue a nursing career. Her music is influenced by the rural farmland and forests of her Wisconsin upbringing and the Rocky Mountains where she now resides. She carefully chooses acoustic instrumentation to bring her story-driven songs to life. Her music represents a few of the cultures that have contributed to what has become American music today.