bio... Ranging from beautiful melancholy to intimate warmth \"...To Hold You,\" the second self-released CDs by vocalist Sarah Morrau, will draw you in to a listening experience of intimate songs ranging from pop to jazz to folk. Sarah Morrau\'s warm style and vocal clarity illuminate the themes of relationships, loss and longing in the songs she has chosen. \"I know how music has touched me and been a healing force--my hope is that people who listen to this album might experience this as well.\" A wide range of life experiences are reflected in Sarah Morrau\'s performance. From a childhood spent living in far-flung locales including New Zealand and Texas to a career that has included jazz radio broadcasting and counseling as well as singing, Sarah draws on a deep and empathetic understanding of human emotion to infuse her songs. \"...To Hold You,\" released in 1999, presents ballads and jazz standards, inserts Morrau\'s soulful interpretations, and for the first time, mixes in some of the Fargo songstress\'s original compositions. An outstanding roster of regional musicians contributed to the tracks on jazz guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, saxophone, upright bass, cello, percussion, adding the rich texture of supporting melody. This stunning collection of ballads and jazz standards by Fargo songstress Sarah Morrau includes two original songs (\"Hold You\" and \"Voices\" featuring Sarah accompanying herself on keyboards), jazz standards (\"Summertime,\" \"Autumn Leaves,\" \"They Can\'t Take That Away From Me\"), and pop ballads (Leonard Cohen\'s \"Song of Bernadette\" and \"Suzanne,\" Joni Mitchell\'s \"Both Sides Now\"). Sarah and her performing partner, pianist Rebekka DeVries, have appeared often throughout the Fargo, ND region including outdoor music festivals, informal in-store performances, museum showcases, college concerts and summer theatres. \"\"...To Hold You\" was recorded at Raptor Studios in Fargo and produced by Mike Coates and Sarah Morrau. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Forum review by Tom Pantera Some local artists have released new CDs that might be worth a look especially if you\'re in a quiet mood...captured by local singer/songwriter Sarah Morrau on her new release, ...To Hold You. Singing both old standards like \"Autumn Leaves\" and \"They Can\'t Take That Away from Me,\" and her own compositions, Morrau often sounds like a hybrid of Connie Evingson and Beth Nielsen Chapman, with a little Lisa Loeb (minus the whininess) thrown in. Morrau\'s two original compositions on the CD, \"Voices\" and the title track, are among its prettiest. The latter, particularly, is heartfelt without being schmaltzy in the least (it\'s particularly reminiscent of Chapman). [Sarah\'s] CD, produced here by Barking Dog Records [sic -- recorded and co-produced by Mike Coates at Raptor Studios] prove talent runs deep and wide in Fargo-Moorhead. Tom Pantera, The Forum, Sunday, February 13, 2000