Laura Daly of the Boston Globe had this to say about Grace Morrison: Her voice smacks of Jewel, and her style, cadence and song structure is every inch from the school of Joan Osborne, Lisa Loeb, Natalie Merchant. It’s uncanny.” However, we like to think Grace Morrison is all Grace, and we cannot wait to welcome her back to the Stone Soup stage on April 13, 2024 at The Music Mansion, 88 Meeting St, Providence, RI 02906. The show begins at 7 pm. Opening for Grace will be Molly O’Leary.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Grace Morrison has never allowed others to define her. Over the course of her prolific career, she’s released three exceedingly well received albums — I’m the Apple (2017), Reasons (2019) and Daughter (2021), each of which testify to her artistry and her acumen. She’s many things — a singer, songwriter, a mom, Renaissance Faire performer, and yes, even a cranberry grower. Yet she pursues each activity with an uplifting attitude and authentic enthusiasm. It leaves an impact on her audiences, creating an emotional bond that’s both enduring and engaging.
In that regard, Grace has patented a sound she calls “Saltwater Country.” She describes it as the idea that we need the ocean — and all sources of water for that matter — to provide a place that offers cleansing — not only physically, but spiritually as well. She expresses those sentiments in her songs and in her live performances, through the spoken interludes she shares between songs. So too, her themes incorporate a variety of subjects all shared from a personal perspective — be it life as a new mom, accepting one’s body image, dealing with alcoholism, substance abuse and eating disorders, life in a small town and even by referencing historical scenarios as well.
Now, with her new effort, Maybe Modern, Grace offers yet another outstanding example of those unique abilities. It maintains the momentum established by Daughter, an album that garnered a host of superlative reviews. So too, Maybe Modern underscores the accomplishments that have marked the trajectory Grace has maintained since so early on. They include her Grand Prize wins at the New England Songwriting Competition and the WPRI Rhode Show Big Break contest — both of which led to her music video being played on the season finale of “American Idol” — her recognition as an Official Showcase performer at both the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance and the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance in 2019, her finalist standing in the Wildflower (TX) Festival performing singer-songwriter contest, and her selection to perform as part of the Emerging Artist Showcase at the famed Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.
Molly O’Leary (they/them) is an indie folk/rock singer-songwriter from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Molly hits the heart strings of audiences with their use of songwriting as a form of activism to raise awareness about mental health and social justice. Molly has received the following awards/nominations: 2021 International Songwriting Competition Semi-Finalist, 2022 Last Band Standing Finalist, 2022 New England Music Awards Nominee for New Act, 2023 Motif Music Awards Nominee for Favorite Singer-Songwriter, and 2023 New England Music Awards Nominee for Songwriter of the Year.