RUN ALL NIGHT Q Division
If there's one new song that is guaranteed to sneak under the skin and quicken the pulse this spring, it's ''Saturday" from Rachael Cantu's impressive singer-songwriter debut, ''Run All Night." This infectious second track breaks with the record's slower, more thoughtful mind-set, feverishly looking back to dizzying youth: ''This is the way I wanted it to be, those lips, those hips, right in front of me," coos Cantu as her band blends rootsy rock and driving power pop into a seductive midtempo buzz that's warm yet oh so urgent. Cantu, who splits her time between her native Los Angeles and Boston, plays guitars and keyboards but is aided by several musicians, notably Tegan Quin of indie folk-pop duo Tegan and Sara, who adds airy vocal harmonies (''Saturday"), and Tony Goddess of Papas Fritas and the Rudds, who plays keyboards and notched a production credit (for ''Blood Laughs"). However, it's Cantu's sweet and worn voice and perfect phrasing that captivates on this eight-song set. Though this is technically an EP, such weighty tracks as ''Blood Laughs," with its spacey chill-out vibe, and the comedown quality of the languid title track make ''Run All Night" a full-blooded listen.
-- Linda Laban, The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe
Cantu's can-do spirit is evident as debut album draws notice
March 3, 2006 SOMERVILLE -- A would-be rock star's work is never done. It's a snowy Saturday afternoon, but inside a mostly deserted Q Division Studios -- there's an engineer mixing tracks by a hardcore band, but that's about it -- budding songwriter Rachael Cantu is hunched over a desk, busily penning in show dates on a stack of tour fliers. When she finishes, she darts to the copier, which is belching out another batch.''Luckily, I have a label and I'm getting a manager and things are coming together, but there's so much to do," Cantu says, marveling for a moment at her expanding tour itinerary, which includes a CD-release party Tuesday at the Middle East Upstairs. ''I'm my own business, and like any small business you have to invest in it and put a lot of time and money into it. I'm doing more work than I've ever done, but you know, it's great! It's for my music."A visitor notices a nearby pile of autographed promotional posters advertising ''Run All Night," her debut album out on Q Division's in-house label. ''I'm just glad I got to use the silver Sharpie," Cantu says with a satisfied smile. ''It's so much more fun than the black one."The singer-songwriter's quick laugh and self-deprecating humor mix easily with the unflustered poise with which she carries herself. Not every 24-year-old would be this grounded -- certainly not one with a debut album on the CMJ Top 200 albums chart (at last look it was hovering in the mid-70s, ahead of singer-songwriters such as Neko Case and Ryan Adams). Actually, her upbeat demeanor is a far cry from the darkly probing persona that permeates much of ''Run All Night."''I try not to let anything bother me," Cantu says. ''I'm realistic and levelheaded about stuff, and I think [music] is where the other stuff comes out. I feel like if I didn't have that outlet, you would see the dark side in me. It's not necessarily from being unhappy though. Maybe it comes from a sadness, but I find beauty in that and that's why I write. I think it's beautiful." She flashes a mock kewpie doll grin as the unappetizing alternative.And yet she's got much to smile about. Cantu's musical life has, so far, been on a fast track. She fronted an indie-rock band in high school back home in Orange County, Calif., tried community college but started skipping everything except music and art classes, and then moved to Somerville with a friend on a whim three years ago. She began writing songs, performing live, and met music folks along the way who booked her into small venues like the Paradise Lounge. That's where Q Division co-owner and producer Mike Denneen first caught her, playing a solo acoustic set at one of Q's ''Earfull" installments showcasing authors and musicians.''I had first heard about her from Andrea Kremer, who works at the label," Denneen recalls. ''Somebody had canceled on us, I asked Andrea if she could recommend anybody, and at the last minute she suggested Rachael. So she opened that show, and I was just completely blown away by her voice. It's really intimate and really big at the same time."''Run All Night" boasts some talented friends who lent a hand, including guest vocalist Tegan Quin (of the Canadian folk-pop duo Tegan and Sara) on the exuberant ''Saturday" and the Rudds' Tony Goddess, who contributed keyboards to ''Blood Laughs." But ultimately, it's the quiet force of Cantu's voice and personality that carries the album. It's a voice that is at once wounded and resilient, wistful and wary, but always nakedly direct.As the title implies, ''Run All Night" is best suited for nocturnal listening. And night, not surprisingly, is her favorite time to write. ''I like it when it's dark and moody," says Cantu. ''There's so much more energy for me when there's no energy out there at all, just this creepiness and stillness. It's like nobody else exists and I'm just going crazy. I write my songs while I'm going crazy."
--Jonathan Perry, Globe Correspondent

Indie Launchpad

Sometimes I receive albums and EPs, in addition to review materials requested and sometimes I receive totally non solicited music, which always has me on edge, as sometimes it's not to my taste. Indie Launchpad is all about showcasing the best of independent music, but it's pretty much tracked down and requested by me. So when I place a CD in the player for the first time, of something I have no clue of what to expect, there's a certain amount of excitement and a certain amount of trepidation. With Run All Night I need not have worried.

I've said over and over again, that I'm a sucker for a beautiful voice, but it's more than that. A beautiful voice is very nice, but without character, it's just another beautiful voice. Rachael Cantu has the whole package, a pretty face and a voice like a razor blade, cutting through pure silk. An angel in a wilderness of despair, but it's not that this is a depressing album. It's hard to put my finger on, but it's almost like listening in to someone's therapy. Melancholy facing anger. Bitterness meeting beauty.

This is relatively short album, at just 8 tracks and a little of 27 minutes, but all of those tracks, showcase Rachael's incredibly beautiful voice. Opening very strongly with "Hear My Laughter", it gives you a good idea of what to expect for the rest of the album. If I'm choosing standout tracks, they would have to be "Saturday", which is probably the rockiest track on the album and the song that sends shivers down my spine, "Blood Laughs" with it's ethereal organ backing, I can easily listen to that track over and over again without ever getting bored. In some ways it reminds me a lot of Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's "hallelujah". "My First War" is another song at a slightly more upbeat tempo, but the flavor of this album is very dark and moody, without broiling in depression.

Conclusion : After listening to this album, I felt like I'd been smacked in the face and woken up from some kind of slumber, only to have my face gently stoked after. Wondrous stuff indeed.
-- Colin, Indie Launchpad

Amazon.com Review
Rachael Cantu doesn't do anything revolutionary on her short and sweet debut record, but her confidence and appealing voice don't take long to get their hooks in. At eight songs and just over 27 minutes, Run All Night sweeps by like a vapor spray on the ocean--fresh and barely there. Cantu started her career in Southern California (before relocating to her current home in Boston), and some of that leisurely West Coast nonchalance clearly stuck. Her East Coast life brought her into contact with alterna-Goddesses Tegan & Sara, and some of their sharp melodicism is apparent here on tracks such as the smart and sunny "Saturday" (on which Tegan contributes a backup vocal). Later, a duskier mood settles in, set off by Cantu's hazy yet expressive tone. Whether fighting through a layer of reverb on the spare "Blood Laughs" or putting a spark into the slow build of "My First War," her vocal versatility gives the record an alluring glow. In fact her voice is so clearly up to the task, you keep wishing she'd loosen up a little musically. Then again, it's refreshing in a way to hear a debut that doesn't scream "look at me!" with all its might. Cantu should have plenty of people looking anyway.
--Matthew Cooke, Amazon.com

Rachael Cantu: The Well-Rounded Radio Interview
Episode 025 : March 2006

I first learned about Rachael Cantu through Andrea Kremer, a friend who runs the Boston Pop Underground concert series here in Boston, Massachusetts. Rachael sent me a copy of her "Blood Laughs" EP and I was blown away by the songs, the voice, and the intensity of her music.

I kept listening to her CD, and every time a song from it would pop up on my iPod, I'd look to see it was Cantu and think what a distinctive and powerful voice she had for someone so young. I was surprised she was without a record deal given her obvious talents. Well, that didn't last long...

Q Division Records, an offshoot of the renown Q Division Studios in Somerville, Massachusetts, recently released Cantu's "Run All Night," an eight-song CD that runs the gamut on moods and emotions. Rocking or softly spoken, reserved or outraged, and sedate or elated, Cantu's debut gives just enough of a tease to see the kind of diverse, powerful songwriting she has in store...and I, for one, want to hear more.

Musically, Cantu is something of a mix of The Pretenders' Chrissy Hynde, PJ Harvey, Sarah McLachlan, and Nora Jones. Much of her music is quietly powerful with lyrics that explore anger, frustration, and a need for freedom and respect.

She counts Bruce Springsteen, Damien Jurado, Iron + Wine, and a host of others as musical inspirations and we also discuss some of the other folks who motivate her to keep working on her own songwriting.

Cantu grew up in Orange County, California and began her career as front woman for the Southern California band Quite Satellite, playing dates in Los Angeles and San Diego and opening for acts such as the Get Up Kids, Saves the Day, and Karate.

Breaking away from the band, Cantu has spent the last few years in Boston, recording songs with Limbeck, Kori Gardner of Mates of State, and Jason Gnewikow of The Promise Ring. She's also befriended Tony Goddess of Papas Fritas and Tegan and Sara and toured with the latter act several times. Goddess and Tegan Quin also both sang on "Run All Night."

Cantu's single, Saturday, has been picked up by a number of college and commercial stations, and it's easy to see why. Unlike a lot of her more moody songs, it's catchy chorus and indignant attitude is sure to bring listeners back for more.

Cantu just celebrated her CD's release at Cambridge's Middle East Nightclub and is off on a tour across the country through the month of March, including stops in New Haven, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Austin, Hollywood, San Francisco, and Vancouver, B.C.
--Charles McEnerney, host + producer, wellroundedradio.net

VERDICT | ANYTHING YOU CAN DO, SHE CANTU BETTER
GENRE | FOLKY
INDIE LABEL | Q DIVISION
RELEASE | 2.7.06

Rachael Cantu seems to be popping up everywhere lately—and for good reason. With a voice as clear and ashy as hers (I’m trying to avoid saying “smoky”), and with songs that seem to perfectly smolder somewhere between light-hearted pop and forlorn folk, she’s become a surprisingly versatile fit on the varied and ample bills she’s been lighting up. Let’s just say she won’t be local for long. On this, her debut, there’s none of the “Introducing ME!” clobbery that I’ve come to expect from local solo debuts—instead, Run all Night is a subtly constructed and tastefully executed portrayal of Cantu’s many sides. Opener “Hear My Laughter” is a simple summery strummer with a growly tension at its center (“If it’s a fight you’re looking for…/ I’ll hit first”), while “Blood Laughs” is beautifully minimal, setting its cool, distant vocal atop Tony Goddess’s calm organ drone. Girl-with-guitar records are tough to pull off—most of the time, a voice, some strings and a song can only go so far. Thankfully, Cantu’s record is rich in the arrangement department, with perfectly placed flourishes lending classy colors to the hushed, dark spaces of her songs without disturbing the peace. If you have a soft spot for sweet guitar pop, you’ll be as reluctant to turn Run all Night up as you will be to turn it off.
--MICHAEL BRODEUR The Weekly Dig

"Rachael Cantu followed with a set that ranged from sweet and a little shy to in-your-face bravado. Cantu has a way of balancing the naivete of her voice with the strength of her guitar…. This tour has turned Rachael Cantu from an exceptional songwriter into an exceptional performer."
--Northeast Performer Magazine

"Rocking or softly spoken, reserved or outraged, and sedate or elated, Rachael Cantu's debut gives just enough of a tease to see the kind of diverse, powerful songwriting she has in store...and I want more. Her voice has a quality that simply invites you in to listen, at times recalling Sarah McLachlan, Chrissy Hynde, and Nora Jones."
--Charles McEnerney, host + producer, wellroundedradio.net