Cortese's mix of modern and traditional styles creates an explosive sound that favors melody and rhythm over overtly technical performances. The momentum in songs like "Blow the Candle Out" propels the listener to a giddy plane where dancing is mandatory.

- John Wenzel~The Denver Post

Ambition often follows talent, and Laura Cortese has an embarrassment of both. Her open-armed approach to her art reveals a determination to spread the word about folk music and dance without watering down their distinctiveness.

- John Wenzel~The Denver Post

"Even The Lost Creek," a beautiful, spirited album

- Dan Gewertz~Boston Herald

"Even the Lost Creek" - her engaging, transfixing pop-folk debut.

- Dave Richards~ The Erie Times

Cortese's rich alto voice colors the Scottish and English traditional songs with very contemporary tonality and phrasing. She makes no attempt to imitate the antique feel of the Lomax field recordings, where she found several of them. Corey DiMario's jazz background ensures that where is present, there will be groove. Cortese is Berklee-trained, and perhaps that contributes to the concision and balance of her fiddling, whether she's blowing through the "West Mabou Reel" or "Devil in the Kitchen" at top speed or arabesqueing around the cello in "Hielen Laddie" and "The Mist Covered Mountains."

- Bill Chaisson~Dirty Linen

"Bjork meets Bruce Molsky!"

- Rushad Eggleston (The Wild Band of Snee, Crooked Still)

"Without surrendering the melodic grace that makes Celtic music so captivating, she coaxed ambient, techno-smart brush strokes from her fiddle."

- Boston Globe February 2004

A sense of wonder, clear as a breeze at dawn
"I actually bought this CD [Hush] at a concert, having been totally blown away by the gorgeous title track. Cortese is not just a phenomenally smooth and expressive fiddler, she's a first-rate arranger, and her vocals bumped "contemporary" out of my dirty-word list. This lady is a star!
From the mischievous Green Wedding to the edgy Devil in the Kitchen to the exuberant Let the Bottle Circulate to the tenderly indefatigable Hush Hush, Cortese pulls sweet, rebellious, starstruck, and stubborn human memories up through the roots of her fiddle strings, and they burst into bloom through the sunshine of her voice.

I usually geek about the technical perfection (or lack thereof) of any CD I try to review, but on this one it never even entered my mind. Either I'm getting better as a reviewer, or the tech on this one is so transparent that it just let the glow of the music through unimpeded. This is a thoroughly enjoyable album for anyone at all. "

- Columbine Phoenix on Amazon.com Dec 2005

"Sweeping onto the stage - eating up every inch of it with poise and solid talent, her vocals are hauntingly beautiful and mesmerizing. And in this day and age of fiddlers galore, Laura is a stand-out. A Scottish fiddler, able to set the bow on fire or bring a tear to the eye - she is on her way to the ranks of the leaders."

- Bill Reid - Festival Promoter (East of The Hebrides Entertainment)

"Technically brilliant yet warmhearted fiddling - sprinkled with urbane splashes off cool jazz and hot pop."

- Boston Globe January 2004

"Laura Cortese is an extremely dynamic and intelligent artist full of fun and joy."

- Alasdair Fraser, Fiddler

"Laura is a natural born headliner, a crowd pleaser that helps a club establish a reputation for being THE place to be for an unadulterated good time."

- Bob Stane, The Coffee Gallery Backstage