Album review from Phoebe's Rainbow World

New Music - February 22nd

February 25, 2019|MUSIC REVIEW - LGBTQ+

Dar Stellabotta shares her coming out journey and struggle in her new EP Lo-Fi Rejection. Stellabotta wrote all of the songs and plays all of the instruments on the EP (cigar box guitar, distortion, slide, and kick drum). "Rock in My Shoe" is a call for to women throw off the contraptions of beauty and societal standards. "Oh Well" and "Lo-Fi Rejection" speaks to the people who walk away when they cannot deal with a new truth or in this case homosexuality. The slide guitar solo in this song is a nice highlight. "Tractor" and "Marry A Rich Dude" lament the need to work hard which we can all relate to, but Stellabotta does it tongue in cheek. My favorite song on the EP is "The Stripper from West Virginia" probably because I have never heard someone's reality sang with such verve and grit. It is a toe tapper, the lyrics had me smiling, and I could see the reality of the stripper's life as I was jamming - that is talent. Lo-Fi Rejection is being released on green translucent vinyl around March 20, 2019. 

https://phoebesrainbowworld.org/flipping-rainbows/f/new-music---february-18th

Review from German Music Blog

So here is a review from a German blog . 
Here is it translated:
What do you need for a good song? DAR STELLABOTTA needs only one guitar, the bass drum and her voice. 'Herb Lady' sounds so pretty rough, every now and then we have to think about The Subways and White Stripes. The song and 8 more can be found on their album 'One Woman Jam'. So who's on the guitar, this bass drum and Dar Stellabotta, should definitely listen.


Original link: http://welovethat.de/2017/dar-stellabotta-herb-lady/

Order or listen to the CD here www.darstellabotta.com

Great plug from Adobe and Teardrops!

Please check out this blog everybody. They got it going on over there, spreading the love of the Universe. Adobe and Teardrops A must for all music lovers.

"Herb Lady" is a complete shredder played on Stellabotta's homemade cigar box guitar.-Adobe and Teardrops

First Review for "One Woman Jam" by Bluesbunny

I have always had a fondness for the simple things in life – beer, for example – but the reality is that even the simple things in life require skill if they are to be made worthwhile. Taking that thought into the world of music leads me neatly on to Dar Stellabotta and her album “One Woman Jam”.

Dar Stellabotta, it would seem, has made an album using only a homemade cigar box guitar, a kick drum, some distortion inducing electronics and her own spirit. With such limited opportunities for musical expression forced upon her by her choice of instruments, it would be wrong to expect anything approaching virtuosity or, indeed, complexity yet there is an appealing directness – one might even say honesty - to her approach that proves refreshing to ears normally numbed by volume maximisation and sequenced standardisation.

Her voice falters more than few times over the course of this album yet this is easy to overlook as her focus and, dare I say it, humour carry the tune for her. The evidence? The pseudo country “Sludge Truck” is enough to make anyone want to (temporarily) join a convoy while “Tractor” taps the American dream for inspiration and power chords. However, the best song here is actually the most obvious in terms of content but that does not stop Dar Stellabotta from unexpectedly launching “Beautiful Star” into the indie pop firmament.

In summary, “One Woman Jam” is more than sweet enough for me.

Link to original article: http://www.bluesbunny.com/Reviews/ReviewID/2668/xmps/11123

Review of Broke in the USA by MICHAEL DOHERTY

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

Dar Stellabotta: “Broke In The USA” (2016) CD Review

Dar Stellabotta is a folk artist based in Huntingtown, Maryland, playing banjo and guitar to accompany her vocals. Her new CD, Broke In The USA, has a cool, unpolished, raw vibe. It’s like banjo played with punk sensibilities, with an immediate, honest, unapologetic sound.

This EP kicks off with “Rachael Joined The Machine,” which has my favorite title of the album, and is one of my favorite tunes as well. This song is banjo and vocals, and yet has something of a blues feel, with lines like “I need a haircut” and “I am broke and I need new shoes.” And check out these lines: “My friend Rachael joined the race/I ain’t seen her in a decade/You know what I mean, know what I mean/Know what I mean, know what I mean/Rachael, my friend Rachael, joined the machine.” That’s followed by “Brother Ray,” which is a more energetic song, with percussion. The vocals are delivered with a punk energy and attitude. “I think it’s about time for some dancing again.” Oh yes. And then “Lost In The Dirt” has some simple, steady strumming, which gives a stronger focus to the vocals and to the lyrics. “I was born this way/Can’t seem to find a better way/’Cause the sun won’t shine for the sinners out there/You’d better watch out, you’d better take care.”

The first song I heard from this CD was “Fountain Of Youth,” and it’s the one that got me interested in this artist. It remains one of my favorites, and I actually like it more and more each time I listen to this disc. There is something of a fuller and sweeter sound to this one, and a really nice instrumental section at the end. “’Cause you’ve been going too long and too hard/To give up now/You want to stop/But you don’t know how.” My other favorite is the CD’s closing track, “Old With You,” a love song that is as much about love itself as it is about a specific love. The sound of this one just makes me happy. There is a sweetness and innocence to this song that is delightful as she sings, “I don’t need much to get me through this life/All I need is you and a warm blanket at night/A cold glass of water and some foot-stompin’ tunes/A nice warm meal and running water in my room.” And: “Some people think love is a fairy tale/To get to heaven you gotta trek through hell/I just want to grow old with you.”

CD Track List

1. Rachael Joined The Machine
2. Brother Ray
3. Lost In The Dirt
4. Fountain Of Youth
5. Old Man Willy
6. Love Is Like A Tree
7. Old With You 

Broke In The USA was released in March of 2016, and is available as a free download on Dar Stellabotta’s website. By the way, she is also a silk screen artist, and you can check out her work on that website as well.