The spark and originality of a great writer coming into her own is immediately apparent and consistent through this Texas debut. We became aware of Tricia Mitchell in our interview this month with Sara Hickman, who covered two Tricia co-writes on Motherlode.

Stylistically, Purple Room is unabashedly all over the place, but not without the charms of eclecticism. I love the tune "Learn You Like A Book," written with producer Colin Boyd. His playing is not exactly my cup of tea, nor is the sonic atmosphere of the record--much of it sounds like it was recorded on a multi-track cassette in somebody's house, by people with very good songs who play pretty good. Many find that kind of thing endearing, I'm just not usually one of them.

Nonetheless, the open-faced allure of Tricia Mitchell is indeed revealed, and the artist and producer get kudos for that.  Besides "Learn You Like A Book," the other tune that Sara Hickman covered, "Twenty Years To Life" (co-written with the mighty talented Monte Warden, veteran of many cuts including the George Strait hit "Desperately," and several records with the seminal alt-country group The Wagoneers), gets an excellent read here.  Another noteworthy departure from that grave tune is "Girlfriend Of The Band."

Milo Deering contributes some very spirited tracks on pedal steel, violin, and mandolin; his pedal steel appearances on "Bobby Joe Plays The Violin" and "Lilly's Verses" bring a new ambience to the sessions.

Tricia Mitchell is curiously self-assured on this debut, and sounds vocally like she has several records under her belt.  She's in full possession of her songs, and her delivery is very present.  All fans of good songwriting should pick this record up and catch the rise of a new voice. This songwriter is going places.

-Frank Goodman

Go to Puremusic Review

• BandFreaks.com Review

Artist: Tricia Mitchell

Genre: Pop Folk/Alternative Country/Singer Songwriter

Stand back, open your ears, and really listen to this woman. Her solo album, Purple Room, demands it from every angle. With its 12 solid tracks, professional recording quality, synchronistic instrumentation, and clear crisp vocals, the album is a powerhouse of personal expression. Thought I'm really not quite sure how autobiographical the songs are, Tricia brings a personal touch to all her stories. You don't see too many mamas in this industry, but for Tricia Mitchell, her well seasoned experiences have only helped to shape her style and sound. She's got a sense of humor and class, and it is this flair that drew me to her music for review in the first place.

**About the Artist**
Texas songwriter Tricia Mitchell recorded Purple Room while secluded in the forests of New Hampshire, plump with child, surviving mainly on tree moss, wild mushrooms and pine bark. Okay, I don't know about the pine bark. Actually, she recorded it partly in a purple room in her house and partly in a studio with just a clip-on condenser microphone and a Roland 4-track recorder on top of old CRO2-type Roxy Music cassette tapes. Okay, so I don't know about the Roxy Music part. Well, you never know with these artist-types what the truth is these days, but the album itself was recorded and produced in 2002 and 2003, under Pigtail Records (a tiny little label out of Texas) and under the watchful eye and ear of producer Colin Boyd. The first thing you get about the recording itself is how crisp and perfect it is.  It almost makes you jealous.  Every track is clean and superbly mixed. In fact, let's just say I know a thing or two about mixing kids and career, so I can only come to the conclusion that this late bloomer (musically speaking) has either a great deal of determination of a hell of a lot of support and good friends. Or maybe a really, really quiet child.

**Notes and Comparisons**
Tricia at times seems to venture in seemingly opposite directions, holding the line tight and steady with her experienced voice. On the Purple Room album, she starts off with a little song of hope and being on the cusp of something great with "For This," then somehow is able to pull the listener into "Bobby Joe Plays Violin," which could most easily be compared to bluegrassy songs of old. Because her voice easily adapts to difficult and different styles, for the most part, there is no turbulence for the listener in the transitions. Her more quirky songs, like "Valerie" (a hello/goodbye song to a friend lost in a plane accident--really more of a celebration of the friend than anything somber) and "Girlfriend of the Band" (a parody song about dating a drummer) are definitely influenced by the great masterpieces of Elvis Costello.  Her voice itself is a mix of Dar Williams and Sheryl Crow.  Innocence meets experience. Tricia's got the practiced and tightly reined vocals of a true pro.

Tricia Mitchell's Purple Room contains 12 tracks of unforgettable original music.

**Girlfriend of the Band**
Narrative, poppy, and upbeat, Tricia's sarcastic humor is evident in her parodic portrayal of a girl living vicariously through her boyfriend, the drummer in a band. Again we are allowed entrance into the world of this character, and by the end of the song I couldn't help but have compassion for her situation. Don't be misled, however, this tone is light and humorous.

The guitar, bass, keyboard, and tambourine create a wide, expansive sound you could say brings to mind the standard pop-folk sound. The clapping at the end of this song tops it off.  This is one of the strongest songs on the album.

**Twenty Years to Life**
I found myself wrapped into this simple girl and her guitar ballad. Possibly because it's a narration by a woman imprisoned for killing her abusive husband, reasoning her actions to the listener. The lyrics suggest to the listener that we may be the judges of this helpless woman fighting for her life. And being human in a world as it is, I couldn't help listening a second time to reassess my judgments.  Like any good story, whatever your feelings and whatever "side" you're on, you are forced to look more deeply at the human characters in the story. All of them. How they feel, where they come from, and why they do what they do become food for thought, as do the characters in this story.

Beyond the lyrical content, the acoustic guitar has a very lullaby-ish feel about it, suggesting the innocence of everything involved. Like every song on the album, the recording quality is impressive, as is Tricia's clean vocal performance.

Tricia understands commitment to her vision. You can hear it in her voice. Tricia seems to understand her art form and has a vision of what it looks like and what it sounds like. In my opinion, she'll only progress from this point on, most likely to that "next level," which, if Purple Room is any example of her overall sound and skill, she's more than ready for. I have no problem placing her among some of my favorite "chick rock" musicians. In fact, this is really a chick worth checking out.

Courtney - www.bandfreaks.com

• Pop Culture Press Review

"The girl powrrr precociousness displayed on assertive opener 'For This' gives way to a wealth of styles and moods.  Tricia Mitchell's not afraid to tackle Texas country ('Bobby Joe Plays Violin' and 'Never Say I Do'), though the Houston native really excels at new wave power pop ('Valerie,' 'Learn You Like A Book,' or what could have been a fine Blondie B-side, 'Crybaby').  Produced by Colin Boyd, who also supplies guitar, bass and harmony vocals, Mitchell's heart seems to reside with a singer-songwriter ethic, though when she gets too personal things get shaky.  Her tale of spousal abuse 'Twenty Years to Life,' which earns points for descriptions of physical pain but misses the mark emotionally, is a prime example of a song that doesn't work despite hard won integrity.  Purple Room is an album of self-expression (many songs were recorded in a purple room of her South Texas home) that proves some of the most unexpected surprises can come from just about anywhere.  -David Pyndus, Pop Culture Press

Fan Reviews

"I have played Purple Room over and over...on my stereo, and in my mind. Tricia has captured herself on CD the way seasoned veterans wish they could: with eyes and heart wide open, first take."  -Sara Hickman

"I loved Tricia Mitchell's Purple Room on the first listen. I loved it even more on the second listen.  The singer, the songwriting, the whole of it is an incredible journey to a place peopled with the hopeless, the hopelessly optimistic, and every sort of character in between."  -Spike Gillespie

"I love being pleasantly surprised! Not that I didn't expect a good record; I just wasn't expecting the rockin' pop arrangements and definitely not the twang of the last song. It's very good.  I like the upbeat feel of the songs that could have been so sad. Mitchell shows her Costello influence with unusual melodies with big intervals--and reflects that influence without at all copying anything that he did. My favorites so far are 'Learn You Like a Book' and 'Never Say 'I Do.'" 
-Lisa Fancher, Austin, TX

"Purple Room is wonderful! I'll be sharing it with folks as quickly as I can & urging them to buy it.  I'm totally impressed with the whole package: lyrics, musically, you name it. I'm very, very picky about music, so it says a lot that Purple Room hooked me so fast."   -William Sederholm, Austin, TX

Listen to New Hampshire Public Radio Interview

"For most of the 90's, Tricia Mitchell enjoyed a successful career on the Austin music scene. But when she and her husband moved to NH, she decided to put her musical aspirations on the back burner. That was, until a friend convinced her to record a song...then another...then another.

The result is her debut CD The Purple Room. Brought up on Country and Pop, Tricia's music is an unabashed combination of both. She talks about her musical influences, the stories behind her songs and how motherhood helped her find the time to become a musician again."

John Walters - Listen to New Hampshire Public Radio Interview

http://www.nhpr.org/node/5687

Listen to KUT Public Radio/Eklektikos Performance with Colin Boyd

Tricia and Colin Boyd were John Aielli's guests on Eklektikos on September 15th, 2005, during a quick recess from John Roberts' Supreme Court nomination hearings.

John Aielli - Listen to KUT Public Radio/Eklektikos Performance with Colin Boyd

http://www.kut.org/site/PageServer?pagename=mus_eklektikosarchive

ChickChat Radio Review

Tricia was featured on ChickChat Radio, a nationally syndicated, female-hosted talk show. ChickChat is independently produced and distributed, and broadcast live each weekday with studios in New York City and Washington D.C. Hear Mamapalooza founder Joy Rose chat with the show's hosts, Heidi and Lara, about Tricia and her music

ChickChat Radio