“If rosin were flammable violinist Elana James would be charged with arson.”

“An infectious combination of verbal wit and instrumental guile.”

“Elana is one of the sexiest, most talented musicians. Her style hints of another era…taking you places you thought were unreachable by today’s standards. And yet, here she is…”

“James takes her inspiration from former Texas Playboy fiddler Johnny Gimble, but her playing also offers a nod to the red-hot stylings of jazz violin pioneer Stuff Smith.”

“A welcome, raw, chromatically-fueled intensity”

“[James’s] inventive violin style can still conjure up the unique image of Bob Wills strolling through Tin Pan Alley.”

“James handles vintage songs with great assurance. “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and “Exactly Like You” are all delivered without a hint of tiresome post-modern irony.”

“James has toured with Dylan, not the most laid-back of bandleaders, but one with an insistence on individual nuance and appropriate improvisation nonetheless, lessons James has now transposed to a more purely C&W idiom.”

“…Sunny, amusing love songs given an added poignancy by her effortless vocal style.”

“…Innovative, original lyrics…Elana James’ unaffected vocalizing is infectious.”

“Some of [James’] songs seem destined to become classics. Her songs–like the best of Gillian Welch’s–sound like age-old gems unearthed, tunes ripe with sparse but powerful images, rustic phrasing and sweet playing.”

“James exudes pure countrified fiddle goodness.”

“…James did not allow her cheerful stage presence and aggressive fiddling to overpower her subdued and smoky voice…. By the end of the night, [her] bow was frayed and the crowd was spent.”

“As a fiddler, singer and writer, Elana James simply glows…She sings with elegant command.”

“A beautiful voice, a fantastic musician, with the heart and soul of an angel.”

“The First Lady of the Fiddle”

“Elana James’ throaty violin solos arrived in terse, epigrammatic phrases with a sprint, every so often, into chromatic harmony. She also sang in a breathy, un-self-conscious voice that made every double-entendre seductive.”