"A Girl With A Guitar"

by Shailynn Giessle, Staff Reporter, Ebbtide

         Charlotte Thistle, regarded as Seattle's Sweetheart of Folk, has released a new album entitled A Girl with a Guitar. Thistle is a student at Shoreline Community College, as well as an activist and founding member of Shoreline Students for Peace.
         In tracks like "Blame," and "Semper Fi," her views are imparted with a deep sense of pain and intolerance. Thistle's lyrics are lucid and provoking, her voice innocently sweet. Another track on her album entitled "Heroin," is melodic and genuine, accompanied by delicate guitar playing. It tells the tale of a private school girl with an addiction. It portrays an addict's perception of never getting in so deep that they might just have to admit defeat and that they might just die tomorrow. Thistle's voice on this track is bewitching and genuinely aesthetic.
         However, I have to say the track "Mommy Why" is the most provocative. It's an anthem for all you feminists on campus. This track exposes the truth about the press and war, Barbies who don't look much like any woman I know, and the adaptation of a child's vocabulary evolving in a time of war. This track should have been around for Woodstock in the '70s. It's a true anthem for our current and past generations.
         My favorite track on the album is the last entitled "Alchemy". Thistle's voice is pure and unrecycled. This song is way more relaxed than any of her anti-war tracks. She remains genuine among many great musicians.
         All songs on the album were written by Thistle. The album features guest performances from Shoreline Alumnus Carisa Meisner (back up vocals), Shoreline Faculty Doug Zangar (lead guitar) and a cameo appearance from Shoreline Alumnus Artis the Spoonman.