Reviews for Awake Awake "Ellen Gozion - Awake Awake" by Wayne Wise (This review appeared in a shorter version in Pittsburgh Magazine) "I don't think of myself as a vocalist," Ellen Gozion says while curled up with a cat in her cozy home. "I'm a pianist." The truth of that is evident from the baby grand that dominates the adjoining dining room. Whether Ellen believes she is a vocalist or not, she has a beautiful voice, displayed in all it's glory on her first CD. Awake Awake is a collection of traditional Appalachian folk songs, the roots of which go back to the British Isles. Some, like Wayfaring Stranger and Black Is The Color, are well known and frequently covered. Others are far more obscure, chosen by Gozion for their beauty. The words and themes are often dark, filled with deep yearning and a sense of loss. Gozion's voice is plaintive and haunting, giving full expression to the emotions held in the song. "It's the way I know the songs," she says, explaining why many of the songs are sung with no accompaniment. "I'm always singing around the house while doing other things. As I discovered these songs I would sing them without music. It's just the way I hear them." Even while talking about singing, she insists, "It's not about the sound of the voice." The songs originally belonged to the people, and could be sung by anyone. There was no recording industry, with artificial standards of what makes a good voice. The songs carried the stories and news of the day, packed with the feeling of the everyday struggle that most people lived. The ballads were an oral tradition, passed from one generation to the next. Many of the songs did not have a fixed melody, or fixed words. Many songs were sung to the same tune, and certain phrases, both lyric and melodic, were repeated in countless songs. Gozion has always loved these songs. Her research led her to the Augusta Heritage Festival held in Elkins, West Virginia, where she participated in a ballad-singing workshop with Sheila Kay Adams. Adams, seventh generation ballad singer, introduced Gozion to many new songs, leading, indirectly, to the recording of Awake Awake. Gozion earned her B.A. in Piano at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While this is her first recorded work, she is no stranger to Pittsburgh's folk music community. She is currently the Managing Director of the Chatham Baroque Society. She worked as a freelance accompanist for churches, the Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and spent twelve years with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She also plays piano with two rowdy contra-dance bands, Toad Hall and The Hot Toddies. Dirty Linen (#118, June/July 2005) [This talented musician draws] on the Appalachian and by extension, British, Breton, and Celtic melodic and song traditions for [her program] in [this recording]. Gozion is a singer and pianist who favors traditional ballads, and dos a fine job with a selection of them ranging from "Waly Waly" and "Black is the Color" to Bright Morning Stars." The love and respect [this artist has] for the music [she's] chosen to present comes through clearly in [her] performances. (KD) "Wish this CD is the first of several" by T.M. Kara (This review appeared on the CD Baby website) Both the vocal and instrumental music on this CD are top quality, with a clarity and simplicity that authenticates these old pieces. My copy was given to me by a friend, and I was so impressed I've already begun spreading it around myself. The listener will find a full platter here, more than their money's worth. I was only disappointed when I discovered this was Ms. Gozion's only CD. I hope she will soon make more, since her voice has both the purity of a woman singing in the mountains and the excellence of a well-trained voice.