November, 2007
"It was an evening when a small town girl leaves an impression on a big city like New York that will be remembered for years to come. Mary Bragg took the stage at 8 PM on Saturday, November 3, for her CD Release Party at New York's prime East Village singer-songwriter venue, The Living Room, ready to deliver a performance that would mark the beginning of a new era for the Brooklyn-based musician.
The performance included all 10 songs from Bragg's new album Sugar, which was released on October 30, 2007. The crowd's response was most enthusiastic after performances of such evident hits as "Sweet Skin" and "The Paper Chase", and the powerful ballads "Let Me" and "Trying", which is based on the loss suffered from Hurricane Katrina. She also included in the set a favorite "Why Don't You Love Me", which was written and recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, in June 2006.
The Living Room is best known for having provided an outlet for the up-and-coming singer-songwriter Norah Jones; so Bragg, naturally, was very excited about the event. Bragg, along with her bassist, songwriting collaborator and boyfriend, Jimmy Sullivan, of Reston, Virginia, spent the majority of 2007 working on the material for, and the production of her new album. In the end, it was the tremendous amount of hard work and emotion put forth in Sugar that made the CD Release Party a success.
The cozy venue was packed with about 60 fans, friends and family, including her parents, Ennis and Lei Bragg, her sister Leila Donaldson, all of Swainsboro, GA, her brother Ennis Bragg, Jr., of New York, NY, and her sister's in-laws Geoff and Betsy Meacham, of New York, NY. Also in the audience was Michael McHugh, founder of NYC Music, who commended Bragg on her performance, and has recently added her music to his "Top 40 Heat Seekers" chart.
Backing her up for the gig was a top-notch band of talented players including Jordan Perlson on percussion, Rich Hinman on electric and pedal steel guitars, Dan Marcus on acoustic guitar, Mike Cassedy on piano, Marika Hughes on cello and Rob Jost on bass guitar. The aforementioned Sullivan, her regular bassist, was playing in a jazz trio on a Carnival cruise ship at the time.
Bragg continues to write new material for a future album, but for now, she's enjoying the thrilling peace of having completed her second album."
This page is part of the MaryBragg.com website