Randi Russo has been featured on HyperAllergic for art, and The Village Voice, Time Out NY, NY Press, The Big Takeover, Amplifier Magazine, and many more for music.
ART REVIEWS/PRESS:
Art critic and curator Peter Frank’s essay! — Peter Frank writes for Fabrik Magazine, Huffington Post, and Angeleno Magazine. He was a long time critic for LA Weekly, as well as wrote for the Village Voice and Soho Weekly News. He has curated shows at Riverside Art Museum and the Guggenheim Museum.
Life Lines exhibit reviewed on Hyperallergic!
MUSIC REVIEWS/PRESS:
"Randi's someone to keep your eye on." - The Village Voice
“radiant and magical… Fragile is Russo’s stunning tour de force.” - The Big Takeover
“The album presents ten richly layered, melodic rock songs mixing literate, attentively crafted singer-songwriter fare with occasional touches of garage-rock edginess and NYC chug.” -- The Folly of Youth
"Randi Russo is a rock and roll poetess in the rough." - The Village Voice
"In order to pull off a solo acoustic performance, you either have to have very good tunes, or very good lyrics. Randi Russo has both." -- New York Music Daily
“...Russo is one talented performer. And Fragile Animal is one of those indie gems you’ll immediately want to spread the word about.” Read the whole review on Hear! Hear!
PopMatters calls Fragile Animal “an eclectic batch of lively tunes... [from] a new favorite no-nonsense female vocalist with a sweetly satisfying ear for pop songcraft."
babysue.com/LMNOP rated Fragile Animal 5 out of 5! It made its Top Picks list. “...incredible songs...smart, personal lyrics...Animal is nothing less than a modern classic.” Read the whole review!
“Fragile Animal is a godsend.” - Amplifier Magazine
Lucid Culture: “While it’s never wise to assume that an album released so early in the year will beat out everything else that appears between now and December, it’s going to take a miracle to surpass this one. Welcome to the best album of 2011, so far.”
"guitar goddess" - The Village Voice
“She has a compelling voice and I love the fuzzy guitar tone - reminds me of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which is always a good thing. And the horns at the end are great too. It feels very much of the classic rock tradition but without being stale in any way.” - Those Who Dig.
"Randi Russo just keeps growing on me. Every time I listen to her debut album, Solar Bipolar (Olive Juice Music), I notice something new. Like how her songs could be lost Patti Smith recordings from 1976. Or how the fourth track, League of the Brigands, sounds like Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth (that's a good thing). Or how her guitar playing is sweet when it needs to be, but nasty in all the right places. All she needs is one gig opening for somebody like Cat Power, and her fame is pretty much guaranteed." -The Village Voice
“The cool thing about multifaceted Manhattan songstress Randi Russo is that she never raises her voice on the eerily eclectic Shout Like A Lady. Akin to wordsmiths Patti Smith [and] PJ Harvey... Russo emerges as a seer, sage, and soothsayer -- sometimes all in the span of one song...Highly recommended..." - Amplifier Magazine
"A tough-minded debut, with lyrical bite and guitar growl in abundance ...a very pleasant detour ...Capable of channeling a visceral energy without coming off as even slightly contrived, ...she maintains a confidence and poise throughout that only echoes the fact that her approach is largely at variance with the current talents in her genre. All in all, an impressively balanced and altogether realized work from an artist that comes darn close to finding her own sound on her first release. - The All Music Guide
"... her off-beat song structures and cutting lyrics ('Your rose-colored glasses/ Stained from the blood of your gashes') continue to separate her from the rest of the coffeehouse pack." - The Village Voice
"Her sweet, resilient voice sounds more distinctively her own (though she recalls Tanya Donelly, Sam Phillips, and Astrid Williamson), while her songs focus squarely on her honest, provocative lyrics and dexterous, uniquely-chorded guitar playing. She throws in a few harder-edged rockers, buts it’s on her tender, confessional tunes that she really shines. “Battle on the Periphery” and “Dead Horse, Live Ground” are hauntingly beautiful, benefiting greatly from LP’s flawless, full-bodied production. And “Ceiling Fire” is simply heavenly, showcasing Russo’s undeniable improvement as a singer. One of a few instances where the dreaded word “maturity” is a blessing rather than a curse." -The Big Takeover
“Russo's biting cynicism contains true depth... [She] has proven to be a commanding presence who could probably conquer the world wielding her quick wit and upside-down guitar.” - Captain Obvious
"Randi Russo has an understated alto, an unusual sense of melody and dissonance, some good musicians to work with, and a sense of song craft that serves her well on songs like 'Waiting for a Sign' and 'Locked-down Fade.'" - The Deli Magazine
"There's definitely a strong tie to the styles and sounds of the early New York punk scene, Patti Smith poetics driving over underground distortion. Yeah, crazy feedback slide drifting through my cranium. Dirty Lou Reed guitar crunches mixed with early Velvet Underground pop noise, and a touch of more current inspirations spilling out into the melodic rock beauty. Sonic Youth to even a little Pixie curl. Some no wave artsiness slips in to the gutter drawl, like a Jim Carroll dry dream, and it's nice. Still, the Patti Smith vocal style holds strongest, like early days Wave or Radio Ethiopia, and it's like a beautiful artistic tribute more than the act of overt influence. Randi Russo has her own stories to tell, and I'm listening to every word." - The Big Takeover (issue 50) (review of Solar Bipolar)
"An explosion of creativity that oozes with eclectic charm and raw emotions, it grabs you forcefully and pulls you in. When it's all over, you're left wondering what the hell just happened. ...There are a whole lot of balls and artistry packed into the 12 tracks of the disc. The intensity of her sound is something to be heard. Fans of unusual, melodic verse will be able to appreciate the words, the music, and that powerful voice as they all fuse together into Solar Bipolar." - Venus Zine
"Restoring the spirit of rowdy garage rock to the female singer-songwriting genre, Randi Russo plays a cathartic and therapeutic blend that reads like entries from her journal. Strongly reminiscent of Patti Smith, both in her vocal style and her ability to seemingly lose herself in the moment of a deeply hypnotic groove, Russo is both visceral and haunting, balancing a pained vulnerability with a determined self-confidence. Whether chugging through a gloriously messy rocker ("Dead Citizen"), a psychedelic Jefferson Airplane-ish dirge ("Adored"), or simmering through quickly shifting tempos ("Dress"), Russo and her band maintain a very live and organic sound. Inspired riffs, pounding drums, and her own raw vocals strongly recalling Lou Reed in her phrasing, Russo and her band seem perfectly suited for creating darkly mysterious arrangements. Of course, that's not to imply that chaotic bluster is Russo's only trick, as she is just as capable of turning around and delivering a spooky ethereal ballad, as well. Adding balance to the somewhat harsh mix, dobro, pedal steel and bouzouki are included for an even more enduring effect. On the whole, a smartly realized and savvy release from a talent that promises to deliver more than a few highlights in the future." - Skyscraper Magazine (issue 11)
"In a music industry still sadly dominated by men & soft porn princesses, we need every gtr touting, rocking sister we can get. Randi Russo deserves your attention... immediately." - trakMARX.com
"As the quintessence of beauty, angst, poetry, pop and person, these 12 songs scream, screech and squeal for veneration. ...This album is so well written, so well performed and so well produced that I am not sure who I would be if this album weren't in my collection." - Slender Music
"Solar Bipolar is her reward and ours. ...it's addictive to hear. There's no question that Randi Russo has listened to and absorbed lessons from some of the best, and incorporated them in ways that sound completely new...Solar Bipolar is matchless, a huge gift in a small box." - Splendid E-zine
"With a voice like a young Patti Smith, and this cool left-handed way of playing a right-handed guitar upside down, local singer-songwriter Randi Russo makes the sweetest kind of uncomfortable noise. Her delightfully abrasive debut album, Solar Bipolar, showcases... her own unique sound from what's left of the Velvet Underground's legacy..." - The Village Voice
"Good choice: Randi Russo - Solar Bipolar ...one of the great noisy rock albums ever made, right up there with Patti Smith's Radio Ethiopia and Days of Wine and Roses by the Dream Syndicate. ...Layers and layers of guitar: screaming, roaring, crying, jangling with a subtle wink. Towering, anguished anthems, catchy garage rock hits, darkly austere Cat Power-ish sketches. ...One of the great underground NYC albums of all time." - New York Press
"RANDI RUSSO is the first of the NYC antifolk triple bill that this night is based on. Armed with only an electric acoustic guitar for company she sets about winning us over with Wonderland, a mournful request for the return of a lost-lover-made-good. That Corpse feeds the previously gentle strumming through a pedal, giving a powerful edge reminiscent of Tanya Donelly, but she's not commanding the respect her fantastic songwriting deserves. Then suddenly, midway through Shout Like A Lady, the previously chattering room falls silent and spellbound on every word. Battle On The Periphery and Ceiling Fire then play out to the rapt audience and, almost without warning, Randi Russo has just stolen the show and our hearts as well." - Sounds XP (Review of live show in London by UK webzine)
"It is this contradictory pull between topics of very feminine insecurity and a cool, confident delivery, triggering references to Mary Timony and (yes) Patti Smith, that captivates the listener... exceptionally strong and charismatic delivery." - The Independent Mind
"...a hypnotic cross between Sonic Youth and the Velvet Underground. ...raw and pulsing. ...a disc that stands out, a real NYC disc, with a sound that captures the feelings and atmospheres of single digit streets and lettered avenues." - NYRock.com
SOME INTERVIEWS:
Check out the interview posted on the great blog, Alright, I’m Wrong -- while you’re there, check out the kind words the author had to say about the record (I’ll give you a taste: “Fragile Animal is an exceptional work of songwriting, musicianship, and lyrical performance.”).
In-depth interview on Conversation Crossroad with Garrison Leykam and Betty-Lynn White... listen here.
CLICK HERE TO READ AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DELI MAGAZINE.