Minkin's Music: Gretchen Pleuss’ Third

By Jay Minkin

The rich fabric of the Northeast Ohio arts community is woven with singer-songwriters whose original compositions and voices touch their listener’s souls. One of those shining lights is Gretchen Pleuss, who will be releasing her third album, Daughter of the Broader Skies, on Friday, April 12.

Signed last fall by Sun Pedal Recordings, Pleuss has been working on a more stripped down collection of material since she recorded From Birth, to Breath, to Bone in 2016. A college graduate with a degree in anthropology, Pleuss has been writing songs since the age of 12, and rounded out her education with classical guitar and piano courses. Besides playing locally, Pleuss has performed at the prestigious 30A Songwriters Festival as well as locations on both sides of the Atlantic. Influenced by the phrasing, jazz rhythms and deep songwriting styles of Joni Mitchell and Shawn Colvin, Pleuss has a unique talent of painting pictures and storyboards with her lyrics.

Recorded at Cleveland’s Superior Sound and produced by Jim Wirt, Pleuss weaves a theme that centers on finding your place in the world as a modern-day woman. Close your eyes and be transported with the jangly guitar radio single, “If You Saw Me Now,” that kicks-off the new 12-track album. Another primed for the airwaves is “Everybody’s Pretty,” about how observations bustling around NYC left her feeling lonely and craving deeper interactions are diary snippets put to a beat. Alan Harrell, a cellist with The Cleveland Orchestra, is featured on the song along with the title track.

Pleuss has three album release shows scheduled for the weekend of April 12. On Friday night she will headline at The Rialto Theatre in Akron, perform in store at Lucky Records in Wooster on Saturday, and will grace the stage of Music Box Supper Club in Cleveland on Sunday, April 14.

Contact Jay at Blues4Bird@aol.com or post on his Minkin’s Music Facebook page.