Wow! This outstanding CD from Megan Slankard is full of incredible songs- so good that our staff went out and bought their own copies!
It’s a good sign when the first three songs of a record have you wondering why haven’t I heard of this group before? Such is the case with Freaky Little Story, radio-ready tunes like Dirty Wings and Lose Me groove and lift off. Throwing such curveballs as the DJ scratching and sampling on Mockingbird and the gorgeous cello lines on Addy’s Tattoo, the band lets the songs breathe and build beyond the confines of conventional pop song structures. The finely tuned arrangements don’t distract from the songs so much as cast them in their best light. Slankard’s vocal style is so distinctive that simply naming influences (Ani DiFranco, Alanis Morissette) doesn’t do it justice. Her vocal melodies are immediately arresting, she uses hip-hop phrasing and whisper-to-roar dynamics like a pro, and she never lets her impeccable technique eclipse the emotion she pours into her performances. Drew Pearce, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, September 2004
Accompanying the unadulterated musical talent are lyrics worth appreciating. The poetic ballads of Freaky Little Story carry you through a slideshow of situational images that might be eerily familiar or simply a glance into the realm of another's life. ‘I really don't write about myself but more about life experiences," Slankard said, "I guess I'm trying to encompass the wide variety of different situations people have.’ What does shine through is the album's compositional diversity taking you from rock to blues to folk and back again, while also providing a refreshing break from the pop diva genre that most female artists have found themselves lumped into. Freaky Little Story proves Slankard's talented originality and leaves you wondering where her next tale will take you. Courtney Lear, Daily Trojen, September 2004
The album may well be entering a crowded market but its core radio friendliness sits neatly alongside the slightly quirky; 'Lose Me' is the kind of song Rickie Lee Jones sang at her peak. Freaky Little Story is a real find, an album packed with the kind of melodies that shift records by the vanload but it will also satisfy those who think commercial success is akin to summoning Beelzebub, which is a pretty neat trick." MM, Maverick Magazine, April 2004
"...Ridiculously talented..." Marijke Rowland, Modesto Bee, April 2004
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