By Debra Levy Martinelli
Lyric-based, contemporary acoustic songwriter Meg Hutchinson will bring her trademark earthy vocals and New Eastern-bent, folk storytelling to Norman Sunday.
She will perform 7 p.m. at the Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., as part of the Performing Arts Studio's Winter Wind concert series.
Hutchinson, a 29-year-old Massachusetts native who resides in the Boston area, has been called "a master of introspective ballads" by Performing Songwriter, whose sound has been compared to Joni Mitchell.
On Hutchinson's most recent solo CD, "Coming Up Full" (2008), she writes about human resilience, maintaining that no matter what happens in life, the nets can still come up full.
In the album's "Song for Jeffrey Lucey," she tells the true story of Lance Corporal Jeffrey Lucey, who returned from Iraq suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. "I heard about Jeffrey Lucey and was devastated by his story but incredibly moved by how his family spoke out about PTSD," Hutchinson said. "I think we all need to recognize sorrow, both the grief of a country at war and our own very private sorrows, in order to get through them."
Hutchinson is the recipient of a Kerrville New Folk Award and was nominated for a Boston Music Award for her first studio album, "Against the Grey." In a single year, she won awards at the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest in Telluride, Colo., Troubadour Songwriter's Showcase and The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest in North Carolina. She also has been recognized for her songwriting in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and Billboard Song Contest.
Earlier this month, Hutchinson, with fellow singer-songwriters Antje Duvekot, Anne Heaton and Natalia Zukerman, released an eight-song holiday album, "Winterbloom: Traditions Rearranged." The four perform new arrangements of traditional holiday songs, alongside their own originals.
Her latest album, "The Living Side," is scheduled for a February 2010 release.
Tickets for Hutchinson's performance are $15. Seating is limited and advance purchase is recommended. Tickets are available at the Performing Arts Studio or TicketStorm outlets.
For more information on Winter Wind and other PAS programs, visit www.thepas.org or call 307-9320.
