Press
“Take one listen to his gritty songs about life and surviving and you’ll recognize the soul of a poet. His music is raw and intelligent. Godfrey plays honest blues-tinged Americana with the best of them.” “Arthur Godfrey writes and sings night songs. They should be listened to in the evening. He is at his best telling the human condition. His voice is a raspy and unsettling instrument that demands to be taken seriously, and it is the perfect voice for his songs. Arthur is not kidding. There is something holy about that, about putting your heart and truth on the line in a song. He does it beautifully. I salute him. ‘Broken Wings’ is a wonderful record.” “Arthur is the real deal and his new record proves it. Heartfelt, well-crafted songs are what I like and there are plenty on ‘Broken Wings’. Give this man’s CD a chance or I will personally come and ‘kick your ass’ and don’t think I won’t.” “Arthur’s ‘take no prisoners’ attitude is reflected in his absolutely genuine songs and kick-ass performance style. It is raw and real and based on reality. As the winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest’s Maxell song of the Year, Arthur Godfrey wowed the judges and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the real deal. His song ‘Amen’ was selected from over 25,000 entries.” “Beautifully tattered, wasted male folk threading Americana, Country and Blues into a whiskey-toned, rugged pattern of mellow ache and conditional optimism. Like blending Tom Waits and Joe Cocker, Arthur Godfrey captures a sound that is simultaneously raw and abrasive as well as warm, sweet and full-bodied. His music is a refreshing break from the overproduced, shiny, lacquered trends in popular music …. he reminds us that there is more to be said through simple exposed songs with the shirt tail hanging out.” “As a lyricist, Godfrey is plainspoken but poetic and his songs call to mind Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’. But Godfrey is his own man and it shows in his spare, specific lyrics. The entire record is all sweat, sex and meanness …. and it’s irresistible.” “A mix of Folk and Blues from a passionate soul …. the stuff that a generation brought up on Bruce Springsteen can tune into today. Explosive roots music.” |
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(Nashville, July 23, 2004) --- Brian Rothschild, Executive Director of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, announced the winner of the Maxell Song of the Year 2003 at the NAMM Summer Session in Nashville. Amen, written by Arthur Godfrey, the Grand Prize Winner in the Folk category won the coveted annual award. Godfrey was the Contests 2001 Grand Prize Winner for his song Simple Man, in the Folk category. Described as an Americana performer with a hard urban twist, Godfrey appeals to the Folk and Alternative-Country music listeners. Originally from Brookline, Massachusetts, where he was a mailman in the Boston area, Arthur lived in southern California until very recently when he moved to Nashville so he could work more closely with other writers. His music has received airplay across the U.S. and Europe, and he tours regularly and has opened for Patty Loveless, Paul Thorn, and many others, and attracted the attention of numerous stars, most notably Sean Penn. |
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