Performance Reviews

08/17 performance with The Red Skies Music Ensemble 
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Album Reviews for The Folk EP
​"Ms. Banleigh’s debut EP is an excellent starting point for what will hopefully be a long and beautifully creative career that this armchair music lover will savour for decades to come.  The Celtic soul oozes out of the very pores of each song in this five song spellbinder.  While piano is not the first instrument I think of in considering this genre, it is somehow perfect for a good first taste of this artist’s work.  It speaks of the twists and turns she will surely take in surprising both critic and fan as she charts her course in this 21st century.  I have a strong premonition she will occasionally return in one form or another to this “roots” type sound as she forges ahead on her path not yet revealed, but surely anticipated."

-Heroes of Indie Music
There is a timeless quality to the five full songs that comprise this debut EP for the New York based Sara Banleigh. The stunning vocals amplify the feeling with each quivering note. English, Scottish and Irish folk songs, each hundreds of years old, are arranged impeccably, with sparse piano orchestration. The songs came to the United States with English and Irish settlers, and have survived through oral tradition, powerful and elemental themes passed down through the generations: love, despair, beauty, longing, death and betrayal. Recorded in Park West studio specifically for the superb 20-year-old Kawai grand piano, the attention to detail is commendable. 

-The Epoch Times
"Sara's original arrangements take what is arguably ancient history's most universally recognizable and well-loved genre of music and give it something subtly new to sing with. We've been lucky enough to book Sara twice - both times [she delivered] an expert, beautiful performance complete with charming comedic storytelling to give young life to the old cherished relics of Eire and beyond. Our guests have consistently loved listening to her, asked to have her back and in a few cases, even started the anticipatory practice of pondering their medieval Celtic requests for next time."  

-The Bailout Theatre at the Judson Memorial Church
The debut EP from piano-based folk singer Sara Banleigh, aptly named The Folk EP, is a good addition to any collection of world-folk music...Not typically accepted by Irish-music purists who stick to traditional instruments like fiddles, flutes, guitars and the bodhran, Banleigh’s piano adds a level of interest to a genre of music that can otherwise be slightly homogenous..."Railroad Boy,” the opening track and one of the best songs on the EP, showcases Banleigh’s haunting voice with an a cappella introduction, followed by a simple accompaniment of piano and violin.

-The Pitt News
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to review a CD featuring Irish songs from 500 years ago, especially arranged for piano and voice...Banleigh creates an edgier sound by bringing her piano center stage and lightly framing it with violin and guitar. At times the beauty of the instrumental arrangement transcends the dark text....My hope is that Banleigh sticks with this Irish song project and releases a full-length album because I can see a crossover appeal for alternative music fans and Celtic music aficionados. Just one listen to the song Geordie and I think Banleigh’s going to win listeners’ loyalty. I think she’s onto something and has the talent to pull it off.

- The Whole Music Experience