Terrorbird

Australian folk-blues chanteuse, Grace Woodroofe, has quite a bit under her belt for an artist of her young age. Talent recognizes talent, and in Grace’s case, a song she entered in an Australian radio competition when she was just 16 was heard by the LA-based artist collective The Masses, and they invited her to come to the States to work with them.

Through this invitation she ended up collaborating with Mark Eitzel (American Music Club), Carlos Nino (Dublab Collective) and performer/arranger Justin Medal-Johnsen (NIN, Beck, Gnarls Barkley). After finishing her high school studies in Perth, Grace returned to LA and started work on Always Want with Ben Harper, who produced the debut album.

Always Want is a collection of soul-stirring compositions that manage to explore darkness and discomfort and yet retain a mesmerizing tranquility. The fuzzed out guitars and thud in “Transformer” offset Grace’s gently seductive vocal. The melancholic twinkling of “Battles” underscores its story of a middle-aged waitress’ unsuccessful hunt for companionship. Title track “Always Want” speaks to a not-so-unusual desire to want what feels just out of reach. The snarling garage stomper “Bear” is a tough love anthem that finds Grace on the hunt.

“There were, of course, many acts that fully deserved the attention they clamored for with two or three shows a day. Among them…Grace Woodroofe, an Australian singer and songwriter with a husky voice ready to unleash a bluesy howl.” ¬– Jon Pareles, New York Times

“The most thrilling performance we saw was by Australian singer Grace Woodroofe, whose midnight show crammed in the corner of the Masses' main office was a pretty incredible statement of purpose...Woodroofe's sturdy and mournful songs fit that atmosphere...powerful, dynamic, striking.” - LA Weekly

“From her a cappella version of Son House’s “Grinnin’ in Your Face’’ to the full-band attack on the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,’’ opener Grace Woodroofe sang like a woman possessed and trying to exorcise herself by sheer force of will. The result was captivating, like watching Fiona Apple if she were Jack White.” – Boston Globe