TRES CHICAS ON THE AIRWAVES

Tres Chicas have recorded 4 songs live in the studio for Country Music Televsion's New Voices, No Cover series click here to watch.

Tres Chicas on NPR! Thursday the 8th of July saw Tres Chicas featured on NPR's All Things Considered. Click here to listen.

CRITICAL PRAISE FOR TRES CHICAS

The AP shines a light on worthy CDs overlooked by the masses in 2006

By The Associated Press

Here are a few CDs that may have not gotten your attention in 2006 and should have:

Tres Chicas, "Bloom, Red & The Ordinary Girl" (YepRoc) Midway through the latest album from Tres Chicas, on the song "Sway," they do exactly that.Singers Lynn Blakey, Caitlin Cary and Tonya Lamm take the word in the title and caress it for 12 beats, dancing with the image in lovely three-part harmony as the melody rises and falls.The vocal blend gives a distinctive stamp to "Bloom, Red & The Ordinary Girl," the second release by Tres Chicas. But the album is more than a mere showcase for singing by Cary (an original member of Whiskeytown), Lamm (a founding member of Hazeldine) and Blakey (the frontwoman for Glory Fountain, formerly with Let's Active).Cary and Blakey also display considerable songwriting talent on material that focuses on love and heartbreak. With keyboardist Geraint Watkins and acoustic bassist Matt Radford helping to provide a firm foundation, the uptempo tunes swing as well as sway, while the ballads are lovely."Bloom" was recorded in London, but Tres Chicas' roots are in North Carolina. In the '70s, this music would have been described as country rock. The more recent label would be Americana or simply call it one of the year's standout discs.
Steven Wine, AP Writer

The Washington Post
Friday, March 31, 2006

THEY AREN'T as feisty as Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette -- or even Gretchen Wilson -- but Tres Chicas fit solidly into the country-music tradition of the steel magnolia.

Caitlin Cary, Lynn Blakey and Tonya Lamm, all veterans of the alt-country scene, made a trio album, "Sweetwater," in 2004, and it seems to have whetted their appetites for collaboration. The songs on "Bloom, Red & the Ordinary Girl," most of them written by the group members, swell with sweetness and throb with heartache. Take a listen to the lyrics that tryst with these barn-dance melodies, however, and you'll find some cryptic sentiments. "Your heart is 400 flamingos," croons Cary on the mysterious, piano-filigreed "400 Flamingos," but ultimately it's by way of contrast: "My heart is plain and yours." More straightforwardly seductive are Blakey's "Sway" and, especially, "All the Shade Trees in Bloom," with harmonies so rich and complex they should be bottled and sold by Lancome.

The most intriguing track is "Red," whose Celtic-waltz setting supports a lyric Emily Dickinson might have scrawled: "I'm as red as the petals of a dead stinking rose," Blakey laments, "and blue as the middle of the salt sea." Her similes soon reveal that she has been abandoned not only by her lover but by her muse: "The best that I've written will all be forgot when I die."

Neil Brockbank and Robert Trehern provide sumptuous production: a fine, deep-hued manicure on these claws. Pamela Murray Winters

Harp Magazine
Sweetwater, Tres Chicas' 2004 debut, showed off the trio's songwriting strengths and gorgeously intertwined voices, but it lived within the wooded acreage of rootsy Americana. Now, with Bloom, Red & the Ordinary Girl, Caitlin Cary, Tonya Lamm and Lynn Blakey have leapt off the continent. Recorded in London, Bloom still boasts music with roots, but the roots now include sultry soul ("Only Broken"), torch balladry ("Stone Love Song") and the perfect mix of '60s Nashville and girl-group sass ("If You Think That It's All Right"). Though infused with the rich blood of timeless traditions, these dozen songs sound utterly fresh. Proven songwriters in their previous ensembles, the ladies of Tres Chicas have now created one of the most compelling sets in recent years. They make it sound so easy, but the shortage of albums of this caliber makes it clear that it's not. David Greenberger


ALL MUSIC.com
Sweetwater is Tres Chicas' recorded debut, but it's not like they're new at this. Old pals from the Raleigh, NC, area, Caitlin Cary (Whiskeytown), Tonya Lamm (Hazeldine), and Lynn Blakey (Glory Fountain) finally found some time to record a batch of their own harmony-twined songs, and juice the set with a few covers. Appropriately, it's their voices that lead listeners to Sweetwater -- they mesh effortlessly if need be, but are also careful supporters of each lead vocal turn. Songwriting is divvied as democratically, and draws on the varying country, folk, and rock styles that the three have explored. Now, this isn't the Thorns. Tres Chicas aren't trying to wow listeners with technically pristine tributes to classic rock. Perhaps because of its light harmonies and gentle acoustics, Sweetwater occasionally treads water in some more placid eddies. But Chris Stamey's typically offhanded production always keeps it home-soundproofing casual, and well-placed augmentation -- a bowed bass here, a mandolin there; the easy turns of a full-complement Chatham County Line on Lucinda Williams' "Am I Too Blue" -- keeps things moving along at a warm evening pace. The opening title track and "Heartbeat" -- both from Blakey's pen -- are subtly powerful reconstructions of country and rock elements, while "Desire"'s clever wordplay is heightened by twangy lead guitar, Cary's fiddle, and a cool torch song break. "When Was the Last Time," with its plaintive piano and gorgeously shifting harmonies, is a definite highlight, and the fun Loretta Lynn cover "Deep As Your Pocket" finds the three friends trading brassy lines over Stamey's chattering, fuzzy guitar. As casual as it wants to be but never more than a bend away from gorgeous, Sweetwater is as enjoyable a listen as it undoubtedly was to make. Johnny Loftus

ROLLING STONE
"Tres Chicas are more than just friends - they're a sisterhood of song. When Caitlin Cary (ex-Whiskeytown), Tonya Lamm (ex-Hazeldine) and Lynn Blakey (Glory Fountain) bring their voices together, they convey sweet heartache and the world-weary acceptance that comes to insightful gals on the tall side of thirty."

AMAZON.COM
Editorial Reviews
The trio has a wealth of self-penned songs on which to showcase their gorgeous harmony vocals. This debut release outshines other such talent-packed ensembles . . ."

WASHINGTON POST
"The proof that Raleigh, NC, has become an epicenter of roots rock is its new Americana super-group: Tres Chicas . . But this is not the usual case of acquaintances throwing something together in the studio; Tres Chicas played locals bars for four years before recording their delightful debut, Sweetwater."

LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
TRES CHICAS: "Sweetwater" (Yep Roc) ****
To clear up any initial confusion, they are not a Latin group but three North Carolinians - Lynn Blakey, Caitlin Cary and Tonya Lamm - who have joined together to create some of the sweetest (but never saccharine) country rock ever. Former Whiskeytown fiddler Cary is probably the best-known of the trio, but Lamm and Blakey have equally angelic voices and poetic skills to rival genre master Gram Parsons'. Sin, redemption, defiance and longing are all addressed in specific imagery and heart-rending harmony, and Chris Stamey's production is as tight-yet-soulful as that of the old Gram/Emmylou Harris albums. A landmark recording. - Bob Strauss

AMAZON.COM
Editorial Reviews
Each of these Tres Chicas were members of justly lauded bands in the 1980s and 1990s: Lynn Blakey with Oh OK ,Let's Active , and most recently Glory Fountain; Caitlin Cary with Whiskeytown ; and Tonya Lamm with Hazeldine . Formed after a chance encounter in Raleigh, North Carolina, the trio has a wealth of self-penned songs on which to showcase their gorgeous harmony vocals. This debut release outshines other such talent-packed ensembles, embracing everything from gospel harmonies to front-porch singalongs. Instead of coming off as a revolving centerstage, the three are so fully present on every song that each of their individual compositions bears the stamp of the whole group. Their guitars and violin are joined by occasional keyboards and a spare rhythm section (including producer Chris Stamey on bass). Covers of Loretta Lynn ("Deep As Your Pocket") and George Jones ("Take the Devil Out of Me") show a glimpse of their roots, but their original material stands near-equal to that of their forebears. --David Greenberger

INDEPENDENT WEEKLY (Durham)
"Sweetwater" Tres Chicas (Yep Roc)
BY RICK CORNELL
Sweetwater can best be described as folk rock, making this the point at which, customarily, the music is called lovely or gentle or something fairly synonymous with wimpy, and the harmonies are described as angelic. Okay, that all might be true, but there's much more at work here. The work of Tres Chicas (Lynn Blakey, Caitlin Cary, and Tonya Lamm) is folk rock with teeth and with what often feels like a barely tamed spirit. And while the harmonies do feel heaven-sent, the trio's devilish personalities frequently poke through, no more so than on a cover of Loretta Lynn's feisty "Deep as Your Pocket."

INDEPENDENT WEEKLY BEST BETS
BY GRAYSON CURRIN
Supergroups are touch-and-go, hit-and-miss affairs. This one, though, is a definite hit, especially when gauged by the material co-written by members of the band rather than what's brought in from other projects. Given that criterion, Tres Chicas--the trio of Whiskeytown's Caitlin Cary, Hazeldine's Tonya Lamm and Glory Fountain's Lynn Blakey -- is an outright wonder. "When Was the Last Time," the only tune on the group's Sweetwater debut penned by all three, is a beautiful killer, a slow burner begging a timid lover to respond, dressing mounting heartbreak up in gorgeous, three-way harmonies that sound like the strange, wondrous results of a lost session between Fleetwood Mac and Emmylou Harris. Though their schedules are packed, this group has pledged to play out more. We certainly hope so.

HIGH BIAS
TRES CHICAS Sweetwater (Yep Roc )
The immediate impulse is to compare roots rock vocal trio Tres Chicas' Sweetwater to the Linda Ronstadt/Emmylou Harris/Dolly Parton Trio projects, since each chica has her own acclaimed career (Lynn Blakey with Glory Fountain, Tonya Lamm with Hazeldine and Caitlin Cary with her post-Whiskeytown solo work). They'd probably be flattered by that comparison, but I think Tres Chicas beat that holy C&W trinity hands down. Their voices blend divinely, the songs, both originals and covers, are uniformly strong and the whole production just oozes soul. I usually think these buddies-in-the-studio deals can't hold a candle to the individual works (see: the Flatlanders), but in the case of Tres Chicas this record is just as good as anything these folks have ever done. Michael Toland

NEWBEATS.com
Tres Chicas / Sweetwater
Yep Roc
By David Chiu
Good things comes in small packages as they always say, and nothing is further from the truth with respects to the combo of Lynn Blakey, Caitlin Cary, and Tonya Lamm. As Tres Chicas, these singer-songwriters play alt country folk music that is both quite warm and eloquent. From the dignified Band-reminiscent title track to a rich, gospel-moving cover of George Jones' "Take the Devil Out of Me," this album is a showcase of the three artists wonderful harmonies and chemistry. No battling egos here, Tres Chicas demonstrate friends just playing together and having fun.
THE EYE (Toronto)
THE ANTI HIT LIST
TRES CHICAS, "Sweetwater" : This trio of female singer-songwriters, whose best-known member is ex-Whiskeytowner Caitlin Cary, doesn't just specialize in the sweet ache of heartbreak, it luxuriates in it. This intense, atmospheric ballad is so thorough in its evocation of Neil Young's "Helpless," it's hard to believe it isn't intended as an homage. (From Sweetwater ,www.yeprock.com , out June 29)

WASHINGTON CITY PAPER June 25, 2004
Fake It 'Til You Make It By Pamela Murray Winters
Travels in the South / Chris Stamey / Yep Roc
Sweetwater / Tres Chicas / Yep Roc
The debut release by Tres Chicas, otherwise known as music vets Caitlin Cary, Tonya Lamm, and Lynn Blakey was produced by Chris Stamey. For anyone interested in the kind of things Stamey would be likely to sit behind the glass for, expectations would have to run high for these graduates of Whiskeytown, Hazeldine, and Let's Active.

The women manage to meet them, too, and without any of the self-conscious wackiness expressed in the press kit. Check it out: These gals met in the ladies' room! Raleigh, NC, roots-rock-club owner Van Alston originally dubbed them PWS, or Purty Women Singin'! And Blakey reveals that at practice, the Chicas usually end up dyeing their hair-or their clothes!

On "Desire," a co-write by Cary, Stamey , and Whiskeytown colleague Mike Daly, Cary sounds uncannily like Linda Thompson at her '70s vocal peak-a singer who could evoke sorrow without dreariness or self-pity. Blakey, as well, boasts an emotion-drenched alto, backed on "Sweetwater" by harmonies as pure and unaffected as anything Parton, Ronstadt, and Harris ever laid down.

Lamm's voice is thinner and more plain-spoken but no less effective. Her innocence-lost tale "Foot of the Bed," has the lightness of a lullaby despite its Church Lady lyrics: "You've been sleeping in sin/Now the Devil wants in." And Loretta Lynn's "Deep as Your Pocket" allows Lamm to get down with the rest of the trio, honky-tonk style. For real, too: Some charmingly off-kilter guitar from Stamey is the closest thing to irony this affectionate homage offers.

Overall, Sweetwater offers clean, straight-ahead, relatively twang-free country with the added bonus of some pretty, delicate string arrangements. If the disc feels more like a demo than a fully formed project, it's still an indicator that these Chicas don't need Clairol to shine. --CP

HERALD-SUN (Durham)
Tres Chicas back in Triangle making magic
By Philip Van Vleck The Herald-Sun June 23, 2004 2:21 pm

After an eventful three years, Lynn Blakey, Caitlin Cary and Tonya Lamm once again have come together as Tres Chicas to support their new album, "Sweetwater" (Yep Roc), which will be released Tuesday.

The new record, produced by Chris Stamey at his Modern Studio in Chapel Hill, is a masterful piece of work, highlighted by several outstanding original tunes and beautifully realized covers of songs by Lucinda Williams, George Jones and Loretta Lynn. The immediate appeal of Tres Chicas is the magic that happens when Blakey, Cary and Lamm sing together. Their harmonies, as well as their individual lead vocals, are as rare and beautiful as the Sirens' voices must've been to the world-weary Ulysses. In a pop music world where a computer program can turn a no-talent like Britney Spears into a singer, it's a major thrill to hear three women whose singing is as natural as it is pleasurable.

"We never decided to stop doing Tres Chicas," Blakey said of Tres Chicas' recent absence from the local music scene. "What happened was that Caitlin's solo thing really got hot, and it was very important for her to do that. Glory Fountain's album came out as well and that was an important development for me. Meanwhile, Tonya had a baby, and her band Hazeldine put out a new record in Europe, so they went over there and toured. So we had lots of records and a baby all happening around the same time and the next thing we knew it was three years later."

During that period, Tres Chicas worked with producer Stamey on some songs they had. Those songs, demos at first, became the source material for the new recording. "I think it's a rather casual album, the way it came together; sort of like an unplanned pregnancy," Blakey said. "Then we learned that Yep Roc was interested in releasing the record, and that was encouraging. We were all at the point where we were ready to get out there and do it again, so the timing was great."

The reunion with Cary and Lamm is more than just a musical celebration, Blakey said.

"The three of us are such good friends, too," she said. "We get along musically like we get along as people. I've missed Caitlin and Tonya during the last three years. Once we started playing again I realized how much I'd missed these ladies. We have a lot of fun together; maybe too much fun."

Of the 10 songs on "Sweetwater," Blakey said she "brought in a couple songs that were basically made for Chicas." Cary and Lamm also contributed songs. "We also covered a few songs we liked," said Blakey.

"Sweetwater" also features some marvelous work from local session players.

Stamey "played bass and contributed a lot of extra guitar stuff," Blakey said. "Caitlin played violin, of course, and Jen Gunderman played keys and accordion, and she's an awesome player." Chatham County Line did the backing vocals for the Chicas' arrangement of the Lucinda Williams tune "Am I Too Blue." Mike Krause did some lead guitar for the band, and Aaron Oliva played bass, too.

"We had great people to pick from as we did the tracks," Blakey added. "I don't think any place the size of the Triangle has anywhere near the number of awesome musicians that we do. We're spoiled when it comes to musical talent."

Blakey was quite upbeat in her praise of Yep Roc Records and the support Tres Chicas has received as the "Sweetwater" release date draws near. Tres Chicas will be touring in support of the CD.

"This summer we're doing selected long weekends to get to D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Augusta and Athens," she said. "We'll head west, too, like Asheville. I don't know how much touring we can do where we get in a van and head out for two months, but we need to hit the big markets. We'll see what happens with the record."

Philip Van Vleck charts our world's music from his office in Cary. Reach him at vanvleck@nc.rr.com.

Blurbs in:
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
SAN BERNARDINO SUN