When the singer/songwriter movement boomed in the mid-1990s, Catie Curtis was at its core. A veteran artist with a 15 year career, Curtis has recorded nine solo albums and has toured with the Lilith Fair as well as Dar Williams and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Her songs have appeared in numerous television shows (Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, Grey’s Anatomy and Alias) and independent films (500 Miles to Graceland, A Slipping Down Life). And in 2009 she was honored to be selected to perform at the Obama inauguration in Washington D.C.

Over the years, Curtis’ many fans have requested stripped down version of her classic songs, capturing the spirit and intimacy of her live shows. With Hello, Stranger, Curtis achieves that career goal. The album, recorded in Nashville, features Curtis in the company of a select group of Nashville all-star pickers including Stuart Duncan (fiddle, mandolin), Alison Brown (banjo), Todd Phillips (bass), George Marinelli (guitar/mandolin/dobro) and Kenny Malone (percussion) on re-workings of some fan favorites as well as a few choice covers. Guests Darrell Scott and Mary Gauthier dropped by for vocal appearances on several cuts, and the resulting album is reminiscent of Steve Earle’s Train A Comin’ project in its intimacy, and shows a side of Curtis’ musical persona never before captured on CD. Highlight tracks include the Curtis chestnut “My Dad’s Yard”, the title track “Hello Stranger” (featuring a duet with Mary Gauthier) and a cover of the Cat Steven’s classic “Tuesday’s Dead.”