Dayna Kurtz/Lulu and the Broadsides

Over the past decade, the New Jersey born, now New Orleans resident vocalist/writer/musician/producer has been bestowed with many awards and praises, including being named the Female Songwriter of the Year by the National Academy of Songwriters. Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt have raved about her in interviews, and she's performed on such high-profile radio shows as World Cafe, Mountain Stage and NPR's Morning Edition and Tell Me More. She's toured and opened for the likes of Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Mavis Staples, Rufus Wainwright, B.B. King, Dr. John, Richie Havens, Keren Ann, Chris Whitley, and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Over the past two decades, internationally lauded “songwriter’s songwriter” Dayna Kurtz has intermittently dived into her crate digger’s curated repertoire of largely obscure soul and R&B gems, as well as penned originals designed to sound as though they’d been unearthed from the same record hound’s favorite crypt, all caressed with the rich, rough and smoky vocals the Washington Post once described as a “…deep hued garnet of lifeblood and beauty.” Now living in New Orleans, she seems to have found the natural habitat in which she can finally double down on her secret calling, fronting Lulu and the Broadsides with local legendary bassist James Singleton (Irma Thomas, James Booker, Ruth Brown, Chet Baker), drummer Carlo Nuccio (Dr. John, Emmylou Harris), guitarist Robert Maché (Continental Drifters, Steve Wynn) and keyboardist Glenn Hartman (New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, David Lindley, Anders Osborne), slinging made-for-dancing-and-romancing sets of rhythm and blues the way it was best done back in the day – smart, loose, and more than a little dirty.

“When Kurtz sings, one of two things typically happens. Either she lets out a deep, husky croon that seems to bubble up from her toes, or she unleashes a full-throttle roar that’s more inviting than imposing…There’s no logical reason why Dayna Kurtz is not a full blown star.” James Reed, Boston Globe

“Dayna Kurtz is the kind of artist who inspires wild-eyed zealotry among her fans, and there are three reasons for it: One, she's an artist's artist, one whose whiskeyed, determined alto often earns her comparisons with Nina Simone; two, while Europeans adore her, she's obscenely underappreciated in her own country; and three, her songs, which straddle a difficult space between jazz, rock, and folk, are pure poetry. Her latest release owes its artist instant stardom. If that's unattainable, it should at least earn her the one descriptor all serious artists strive for: important.” - Tammy La Gorce ALL MUSIC GUIDE

Kurtz has total mastery of the dynamics of ballad singing. She brings the kind of substance to her vocals characteristic of a great gospel singer. – John Swenson Offbeat

“Dayna Kurtz is the kind of artist who inspires wild-eyed zealotry among her fans, and there are three reasons for it: One, she's an artist's artist, one whose whiskeyed, determined alto often earns her comparisons with Nina Simone; two, while Europeans adore her, she's obscenely underappreciated in her own country; and three, her songs, which straddle a difficult space between jazz, rock, and folk, are pure poetry. Her latest release owes its artist instant stardom. If that's unattainable, it should at least earn her the one descriptor all serious artists strive for: important.” - Tammy La Gorce ALL MUSIC GUIDE

“Dayna Kurtz’s diverse vocals feel both old and new, recalling Nina Simone of yesteryear…hypnotically haunting” – New York Post