Mark Croft: Press

Singer/Songwriter Mark Croft has recieved a mountain of praise since the release of his 2005 debut album, Sympathetic Groove. He won "Best New Artist" and "Best Male Vocalist" at the 2006 Madison Area Music Awards, and Butch Vig named Croft as one of his favorite local artists last January in Madison Magazine.

Croft's skill as a rhythm guitar player distinguishes his music. His up-tempo strumming and rapid-fire chord changes fill his songs w/ energy. Like any respectable singer/songwriter; Croft pines about the trials of love ("She's a landslide, and I'm at the top of the hill"), but there's more, including the anti-war song "America."

Funk, blues, folk - it's all here. Croft is not just another guy with a guitar in the corner of a coffeehouse.

On "Forgive Me" the first track from his recent 'Permanent Ink' EP, Mark Croft sings exuberantly over peppy acoustic strumming that hearts are "meant for more than keeping a beat," and on "Is It Gonna Be Funky?" A dying man asks Jesus if heaven will be, yep, funky. What seems a bit corny actually plays to one of the Madison songwriter's strengths--sounding big-hearted and honest even amid production that douses his songs in slick country and jazz flavors. The EP's gleaming layers can get a bit overwhelming, but it's worth it when the occasional fiddle or twangy guitar lead cuts through, as on the title track.

"Croft isn't afraid of strong rhythms, which is part of the reason his polished singer-songwriter material is ready for prime time."

"Some of the Broadjam staff and I were at Mark's CD release party recently, and we were blown away! This is one of the best new musicians we've seen in a long time. Definitely check out his music."
- Roy Elkins, Broadjam Founder and CEO

“Not only is it my favorite local album of 2005, I think it's my favorite album of 2005, period.”
- John Urban, Host of Urban Theater, WISC-TV3

"...easily some of the best songs and one of the best performers I've worked with in the past 10 years."
- Mike Zirkel, Chief Engineer, Smart Studios

Put a little more meat on Jack Johnson’s musical bones and you might hear something like Madison singer-songwriter Mark Croft's first album “Sympathetic Groove.”
Croft’s songs have the kind of playfulness one associates with Johnson or fellow travelers like John Mayer or Dave Matthews. But while some of their songs have such a light touch that they almost drift out of view, Croft’s sound has just enough grit and substance to keep even the simplest of them grounded in the listener’s mind.
“Don’t Speak” kicks off sounding a lot like a Dave Matthews Band song, with likable acoustic guitar, soft percussion, even a touch of soulful organ. But the song quickly becomes Croft’s own thanks to his slightly weathered voice and his terrific acoustic guitar playing (balanced by muscular electric guitar from Keith Pulvermacher).
“Angela” is a breezy pick-me-up to a friend who has fallen on hard times, and “Don’t it Make You Feel Like Coming Home” has the kind of put-the-top-down rock sound that seems tailor made for adult contemporary radio. “She’s a Landslide,” a woman-done-me-wrong song that most musicians would play as a blues rocker, benefits greatly from Croft’s decision to arrange it as a back-porch acoustic tune, with acoustic slide guitar and lap steel.
Croft slows things down effectively on the solo acoustic “Just the Same” and the closing song, the haunting “Stayed Too Long.” Overall, this is a welcome debut by a local musician, and the perfect sort of CD to star the summer with. – Rob Thomas

When I first met Mark Croft a few years back, he was "the guy with the great
right hand." He was a human metronome, a scrappy popster with a
radio-friendly voice. All he needed was a little polish, a chance to find
his groove.

After making his bones at the Kimia, the Cheeseburger and other fine area
venues, here it is: a CD that is required listening. This is an all-out
studio production that hits the right notes and gives bright, crisp tunes
the big, bold production they were meant to have.

This CD is every bit as catchy and listenable as anything John Mayer has
done, with songs that are concise, hook-filled and radio-friendly. There is
a priceless moment during the second song, Don't Speak, when he goes into
the bridge. With that chord change, it becomes apparent then that this
record is something special and unique in this cluttered music stratosphere.
The album simply doesn't let up. The tune, by the way, is clearly the
(first) single on this album.

I especially enjoyed the raw sound of Landslide (and it takes quite a bit of
chutzpah to call a song "Landslide," much less "Don't Speak.") I was happy
the supercool Salvation Train was on this disk, showing off his guitar
chops; and if you didn't know Mark Croft plays piano, check out the soothing
epilogue, Stayed Too Long. I have always enjoyed the song America, which
contains some of his best lyrics and message. I was glad he gave it a full
production here.

I wasn't wild about the percussion at the beginning of The Highway, but it
evolves into a warm, full, lovely sound. I might have stripped down Coming
Home a little more at the beginning and let it build.

These are quibbles. This album is poised to make a big sound, heard far and
wide.

Sympathetic Groove was released on the Abacus Music label, and was produced
by Kelsy Boyd and Mark Croft.

I'm so fake," is the first thing Mark Croft tells us on his debut full-length "Sympathetic Groove." "I'm so jaded," is the second, but after a couple of listens it is obvious he doesn't really mean either of those things. In fact, his songs are never less than genuine. The Madison singer/songwriter has seen his popularity explode in the last year, culminating with a sold-out CD-release party last month that left some standing on the sidewalk and had the Cafe Montemartre bursting at the seams with partying frat boys, their skinny, pretty girlfriends, and grooving hippies. With his insistent melodies and smooth voice, Croft has found an automatic market. The appeal is obvious: all the head nodding, danceable listenability of those artists, but on a local level. After all, you're not going to see Matthews or Johnson playing the Momo for a $7 cover.

"Don't Speak (not a No Doubt cover) stretches into Santana's "Supernatural" territory on the strength of Keith Pulvermacher on electric guitar and the Gomer's Dave Adler (who is absolutely terrific throughout) on organ. Occasionally the worldly rhythms done so well by bands like Rusted Root infuse songs like "Salvation Train" and "She's a Landslide" with another earthier, organic dimension (compliments of percussionists Bob Boyd and Pauli Ryan). The former tunes is a carefree, playful romp that evokes the feel of the title's train with its percussive drive. The latter displays some of the best songwriting, using lines like, "She's been walking around with a cold and an old broken heart" and the punch line "She's a landslide and I'm at the top of the hill" to tell of a destructive relationship, but one from which the narrator ultimately escapes. The final track, "Stayed Too Long," is a James Taylor-esque reflection, with its mournful cello (by Matt Turner) and simple lyrics creating a fitting closing statement.

"Talk is cheap, and so are all my Weezer T-shirts," he cleverly states at the start, so it is good to see him take some action. With these ten original songs, Croft makes a strong case as a songwriter who could move beyond local-hero status. "Sympathetic Groove" should be able to shoulder its way into a genre that always seems to be welcoming new members. As long as the Bonnaroo festival crowd encompasses such a broad swath of the music-buying population, there's always room for one more.

Mark Croft is one of those performing songwriters whose music is difficult to categorize. Although he’s not exactly a folk musician, his lyrics carry the depth of folk music. And although his music is not entirely blues, it contains obvious blues influences. Some hear Croft and think funk. Some hear rock. Croft combines so many influences into his songwriting and performances that categorizing his music into a tidy genre can be a challenge.

“You know at first when we started out I was calling it ‘blue acoustic’ music,” Croft said of his work. “Now we’re calling it ‘new acoustic’ music.”

A fitting title. Drawing comparisons to Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews, this laid-back singer/guitarist is part of a movement of modern male songwriters who draw from numerous influences and create accessible music that appeals to a large audience. He wraps compelling melodies and heavily rhythmic guitar riffs together to form songs covering topics ranging from heartbreak to soul searching to politics. His lyrics reflect a depth and emotional intelligence that is found in contemporary male songwriters like David Gray and John Mayer.

“I think it’s becoming more socially acceptable for men to show softer side,” croft explained. “And it’s a huge commodity because women find it so attractive.”

Croft, a Wisconsin native, currently lives in Madison and plays mostly local shows, like his weekly gig Tuesdays at the Kimia Lounge. When he’s not performing, he’s racking up hours at Smart Studios, recording an album slated for release early this spring.

“I would have never in a million years guessed that that would happen so quickly – or at all, by any means,” Croft said of having the opportunity to record in the city’s most prestigious studio. “It’s very exciting; it’s a very cool experience … you look up and it’s like, Garbage is upstairs recording. Or like there’s Nirvana’s Nevermind album up on the wall.”

After completing the album, he’ll launch an extensive tour of the Midwest. Though a newcomer to the experience of touring, he’s looking forward to life on the road and a schedule that will allow him to be playing outside of Madison “hopefully two or three weeks a month.”

While Mark Croft may be part of a modern songwriting movement, his philosophy toward music dates back further. It’s best summed up by a passage from Bob Dylan’s memoirs.

“Bob was saying that back in the day everyone was calling him and saying things like ‘What’s it like to be the voice of a generation?’” Croft explained, “And he’s like, ‘I wasn’t thinking about writing songs, I was just writing songs. I wasn’t thinking about being a voice for a generation. I was just taking care of my family.’

“I think that’s what makes a great songwriter great,” he said, “It’s when you’re just sitting around, and you’re just taking the emotions that you’re feeling and not trying to be something but just being something.” -by Kris Adams