"Yes, Miss. Rodriguez is a fiddle player, having gravitated toward the instrument since age 5. Nevertheless, 'She Ain't Me' presents a number of additional identities that suit her well, from songwriter to guitarist, singer and mandolin player. Try to pigeonhole or label such an artist - an unclassifiable musician who, in less than 10 years, has packed more change into her career than someone twice her age - and there's only one appropriate response: It ain't over."
- Andrew Leahy - The Washington Times (12/12/08)

"Some artists are blessed by such a humbling personality that ego never becomes an interfering factor in their craft, even as an audience watches a legacy growing right before their eyes. With a gift for songwriting, a love of performing, eye-catching beauty and an Austin accent warm enough to slather on toast, multi-instrumentalist Carrie Rodriguez fills any room simply with her smile and lack of pretense."
- David Higdon / Jambase.com (12/1/08) from review of 11.18 show in Atlanta, GA

"...a fiddler with contest-killing chops, Carrie Rodriguez doesn't stand a chance with Clear Channel country radio. But on this year's sterling She Ain't Me, she modernizes country on her own terms, shifting between electro-mandolin-driven morality tales and hooky folk-rock, illuminating personal dramas with the skill of a young Lucinda Williams (who gets in some guest wailing on "Mask Of Moses"), and flirting with another Carrie's (as in Underwood) bitch-on-twang-pop wheels. "Whoever Ms. Whoever is, she ain't me," she sings on the album's title track, calling out the competiton. Americana or otherwise, and the threat drips sweetly from her lips."
- Roy Kasten / St. Louis Riverfront Times (11/13/08)

"This record ultimately captures a special place (somewhere in between Lucinda Williams and Kathleen Edwards) where rootsy worldliness meets a seductive talent."
- Natalie D-Napoleon/Santa Barbara Independent (10/21/08)

"Rodriguez's voice always sounds crystal clear. Even when the protagonist of her song is upset, the lyrics are given their due and each word-and each ache in her vocals-can be heard...
Carrie Rodriguez takes a bold step on She Ain't Me. She's got nowhere to hide. Despite what the title says, it is all her. Rodriguez deserves applause for doing such a good job of presenting the many sides of herself."
- Steve Horowitz / Popmatters (9/30/08)

"The classical training of Carrie Rodriguez really shows. She Ain't Me is honestly just a huge collaboration of solid musicianship, songwriting, and soul. I've heard it described as "folk," though that definitly is not my first reaction. I'd say more alternative rock or pop, aligned more with the likes of Sarah McLaughlin or Nataline Imbrulia.
Late 90's styled. Her voice actually holds a striking resemblence to McLaughlin's (and the cover photo keeps making me think she is Audre Horne from Twin Peaks), which works superb for the genre. Nothing half-assed here; She Ain't Me is spotless."
- John Shelton Ivany / syndicated (9/29/08)

"She's a wonderful artist, very creative. She plays beautifully, she sings beautifully, and she's a real nice person."
- Alejandro Escovedo / from Seattle Post Intelligencer interview (9/16/08)

"Carrie Rodriguez plays fiddle on only three songs for her second solo album, She Ain't Me (Manhattan). Yet her fiddler's vocabulary of old modal melodies centers her songs about faraway loves and spiritual prospects, bringing concision and gravity to every one of them.

Ms. Rodriguez chose collaborators well: she wrote with Mary Gauthier, Gary Louris from the jayhawks, Dan Wilson from Seminsonic and the producer Malcolm Burn, who enfolds her Americana with resonant electric guitars and steadfast march beats. Behind the sorrows and longing is a determination that's grounded, implicitly, in tradition."
- Jon Parales / The New York Times (9/14/08)

"...imagine A Courtney Love fronted-Uncle Tupelo, minus the heroin."
- Zac Taylor / Groove (review of Boston show 9/5)

"Hailed by Lucinda Williams, recruited by Alejandro Escovedo, and nurtured by Lyle Lovett, singer-songwriter Carrie Rodriguez has rapidly emerged as one of the most compelling new voices on the roots-rock scene. The Austin, Texas-raised fiddler recently released her second solo album, She Ain't Me (Manhattan), which captures a prodigiously talented musician in the process of forging a sound that's unapologetically tough and intriguingly sensual."
- Andrew Gilbert / The Boston Globe (9/5/08)

"She Ain't Me is the sophmore effort we all hoped it would be, stronger and ballsier than her distinctive debut, 2006's cosmic country mix Seven Angels On A Bicycle. Malcolm Burn's atmospheric, yet strangely grounded production gives each song a unique stamp while providing Rodriguez a wide stage on which to swagger. She gladly takes full advantage of the setting to showcase a smoky maturity in her free range vocals while accompanying herself with daunting fiddle and mado-guitar playing. She Ain't Me is the work of an artist who plans on being around a while."
- Mike Jurkovic / Elmore (August/Sept '08)

"It must be said that Carrie Rodriguez is strikingly beautiful. With a voice like that, she pretty much has to be a singer. But she has the looks to be a model or actress. She had a large white flower in her curly hair, and a pink blouse and black shirt ensemble that could have been plucked from the 1920's. But it still would have been a stunning performance even if she'd been dressed in a burlap sack with a paper bag over her head."
- Muruch / blog review (08/11/08) of Mounatin Stage performance 8/10

"With 2006's Seven Angels on a Bicycle, Carrie Rodriguez graduated from progeny status by convincingly stepping outside the tutelage of mentor Chip Taylor. On She Ain't Me she continues to strive forward in creating her own oeuvre with an engrossing set of lushly arranged songs. Rodriguez starts things rootsy, textured and topical with the prototypically Americana "Infinite Night," while such tracks as "Absence" and the gentle "The Big Mistake" have more pronounced country touches. She gets by with more than a little help from friends this time out, including Lucinda Williams' singing on the epic "Mask Of Moses" and songwriting collaborators Gary Louris, Dan Wilson and Mary Gauthier. None of that takes the spotlight off of her, however: Rodriguez is a triple-threat artist who sounds more formidable with each successive release."
- Gary Graff / Billboard (Critics Pick) (August 9, 2008)

"From Austin - Without Limits" (headline)
- Rob Lowman / LA.com (7/31/08)

"With She Ain't Me, Rodriguez further develops her own musical identity as a skilled purveyor of sophisticated twang."
- Michael Berick / LA Weekly (7/30/08)

"On her latest CD, She Ain't Me, Carrie Rodriguez creates lush dramatic soundscapes full of cosmic rhythms, ethereal melodies, and plenty of twang both in her voice and in the banjos and fiddles, to keep it the music grounded. I'm reminded of some of Roseanne Cash's work of Emmy Lou Harris' work. but what stands out in Carrie Rodriguez music is a feminine, sexy voice that commands attention."
- TapRootRadio.com (7/30/08)

"This is one of those records that makes it easy to say, 'if you dug her before..' By all means, check it out, it's a winner."
- Midwest Record (7/25/08)

"She Ain't Me reveals its charms slowly yet effectively, and is the better for it."
- Hal Horowitz/All Music Guide (7/22/08)

"...for the first time, Rodriguez has her name on all but one of the eleven tunes, and her material is strong - lyrically intimate and full of loss. She proves she knows her way to a songs emotional core, even when she has to strip away a bit more gloss to get there."
- Jeff McCord/Texas Monthly (August 2008)

"It's as if everything she's done so far has been leading up to her pastoral solo debut, Seven Angels On A Bicycle - (which) adds pop sheen to Americana attitude."
- TimeOut New York

"Stuff We Weren't Paid to Endorse
If you love Lucinda Williams, as I do, and want more of her songs than presently exist, you would do well to get Carrie Rodriguez' Seven Angels On A Bicycle. There are a lot of similarities between Rodriguez and Williams, but Rodriguez plainly has her own wild thing going on. '50's French Movie,' has a fantastical nasty groove."
SJD - The New York Times 10/17/07

"While Hornsby impressed with a professionalism and stage presence earned through 25-plus years as a musician, opener Carrie Rodriguez showed that she could very well have the same kind of longevity. Playing songs from her debut album, "Seven Angels on a Bicycle," she grabbed the somewhat stubborn crowd's attention with excellent musicianship and a beautiful voice."
- Josh Loftin / Deseret News (08/20/07)

"Carrie Rodriguez is a Texas firecracker whose solo debut, "7 Angels on a Bicycle," is an excellent, eclectic collection of dusty pop, folk and jazz."
- Dan Nailen / Salt Lake City Tribune (08/18/07)

"As a singer Carrie Rodriguez rivets attention. Her urgency powers the album. ..Seven Angels delivers the feel of discovery again and again. Highly recommended."
- Sing Out!

"Austin-based singer/songwriter/fiddler Carrie Rodriguez and company opened the show with a glowing, moody set, full of reverb, breathy vocals and minimalist, impressively smart songs from her recent CD "Seven Angels on a Bicycle." She earned every bit of the enthusiastic standing ovation she received."
- Marty Rosen / The Louisville Courier-Journal
from his review of Lucinda Williams' show (4/26/07)

"I have to say I am very impressed. She's got something unique in her voice that's very subtle and a little smoky and sweet. She's got a refreshingly spunky attitude to go along with it. I detect a certain wisdom in her, and yet a sense of wonder as well."
- Lucinda Williams / New York Times (February 4, 2007)

"**** (4 stars) - the verve, swagger and attitude she flaunts on this excellent solo debut comes as quite a shock. ...it's an adventurous, eclectic collection, with telling roles for avant-jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and Rodriguez's husband, jazz sax player Javier Vercher, whose contribution takes the compelling title song into a new dimension. ...She's hot and steamy, on the outrageously seductive '50's French Movie'..."
- Colin Irwin / MOJO January 2007

"If you like your music rootsy and real you owe yourself a good listen to Seven Angels on a Bicycle."
- Steven Stone / Vintage Guitar Magazine (Jan 2007)

"Seven Angels... is a hopeful record and a strong solo statement for Rodriguez."
- Andrew Dansby / The Houston Chronicle (09/07/06)

"Seven Angels on a Bicycle shines for both its subtle and brazen moments, its intellect and emotiveness. (It's) a poignant, emotional journey worth the price of admission."
- Tracy M. Rogers / PureMusic (09/05/06)

"Seven Angels On a Bicycle is an album that, like all the great ones, is powered by an incredible free spirit."
- Michael Corcoran / The Austin American Statesman (09/04/06)

"...her voice has a character few achieve. Rather than a support player taking a minor turn, she uses her first solo album to mark her ground as a singular talent."
- Michael McCall / Associated Press (08/21/06)

"The leisurely reflective tunes on "Seven Angels," backed by the likes of Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz, often recall Emmylou Harris' memorable collaboration with producer Daniel Lanois, 'Wrecking Ball.'"
- Mikel Toombs / San Diego Tribune (8/17/06)

"Carrie Rodriguez's Seven Angels on a Bicycle is entrancing. It's a canny mixture of her intimate sound with (Chip) Taylor, expanded in depth and breadth by her own sultry style and luxurious, ruby-red voice. From the wistful title track and melancholy "Waterbound" to the wry "I Don't Wanna Play House Anymore" and tender "Got Your Name on It," Rodriguez's singing and fiddle are matched by her confident songwriting and bolstered by partner Taylor on some tracks."
- Margaret Moser / The Austin Chronicle (08/16/06)

"An individualistic piece of Texicana that's a convincing pitch for solo stardom"
- The Observer (UK) 08/06/06

"The songs, all originals, show unexpected depth and are smartly and simply told. Rodriguez puts on the up-tempos ("50's French Movie," "I Don't Wanna Play House Anymore") with sass and a smirk, while on the slower numbers (the title track, "Water-bound," "Big Kiss"), she channels a Texas version of Sandy Denny that draws you in deep."
- Jeff McCord, TEXAS MONTHLY, July 2006 issue

"On Seven Angels..., Rodriguez embraces the center of attention, producing the album with Taylor and writing half the tracks with him as well. While she hasn't abandoned country-folk altogether - there's plenty of steel guitar and banjo here - standout crossover tracks like the sexy "Got Your Name on It" are sure to inspire more panting than pickin'."
- Kevin Raub / American Way June '06

"Listening to Seven Angels on A Bicycle from Carrie Rodriquez is like coasting down a smooth mountain trail, gliding along effortlessly, while listening to these fresh natural sounds, amazed by the surprises that await around every turn--or tune. Move over Lucinda, and step aside Miss Nora Jones, Carrie Rodriguez's pure and deeply-rooted music will take your breath away. There isn't a bad track or wasted note on the recording, listen to it all."
- Peter Bochan / about.com June '06