Reviews

Family Business -
Vic Smith "fRoots" - March 2007
Steady as She Goes
"The Living Tradition" - October/November 1994
Grey Means Business
"The Living Tradition" - October/November 1994
Grey Days
Taplas Oct/Nov 2005
Like Mother Like Son
"Sing Out" - Winter 2008
Broadstairs 2007
Old Time News, Jan 2008
Singing Down The Generations
"Living Tradition" - August November 2019

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT SARA

"What a fine CD. Its beauties constantly renew. You’ve done a great thing for traditional music.
It’s sometimes tempting to be afraid that, either through style or repertoire, contempo-folk has buried everything worthwhile in tradition. So your CD is especially welcome and especially satisfying.
I loved what you did on my songs – on all the songs. Your restraint gives it a nice edge, too – something most revival singers can’t touch. Among special faves are Blue Mountain Lake and the Songs of War. The trio harmony is really nice too.
Great work. I can only hope you may be convinced not to make this quite your last record. I’m honored to be included.
Cordially, Bob Coltman"

"… Sara has gained a reputation not only for her excellent singing and playing … but also for the sheer warmth and enthusiasm that she radiates to her audience …" - Brighton’s "Friday Folk"

"… much loved and admired by almost anyone that has seen her sing …" - Bob Walton, Southern Rag

"… everything she does is characterised by freshness and enthusiasm … You couldn’t hear half a dozen bars and think it was somebody else … She is one of the select band of performers that still breathe life and vitality into traditional ballads …" - Vic Smith, Folk Roots

"… There are certain singers who have been involved with traditional music over many years – Ray Fisher and Sara Grey also spring to mind – for whom the arts of a singer and of a story teller merge to produce a web of tales and songs capable of transporting an audience from a club room to the intimacy of a kitchen fire side." - Brian Peters in a review of a Roy Harris performance, Folk Roots

"singing by turns restrained, triumphant, gentle, strong, fun and deeply emotional, but always with that beautiful rhythmic vitality that is Sara’s voice." - Molly Nudds, Prittle Prattle

"… clear singing done from the heart … my opinion is that her butterfly voice which expresses a lyric so well, needs only her banjo behind it to make a complete musical statement." - Roy Harris

"… An evening in her company is akin to sitting in a friend’s kitchen, drinking her wine and sharing her songs and stories. When it comes to an end, you feel at peace with the world." - Mick Tems, Taplas

"… Sara’s distinguished frailing style on the banjo showed just how this instrument should be played, stylishly enhancing her silky melodic vocals. … new Hampshire born Sara Grey, one of the warmest individuals you’re ever likely to meet … her relaxed smooth singing style was conveyed with effortless ease." - Maurice Hope, Hexham

"… New Englander, Sara Grey, stole the show at one of the major concerts…" - Norman Chalmers, Scotland On Sunday

“I was in awe of this truly remarkable singer of the old ballads; not only for her incredible breadth of knowledge and her obvious love of her material, but in her combination of both singing and prefacing the songs with fascinating background stories, since Sara is also a master story teller. A memorable performance. Sara, James Francis Child would have been proud of you!” – Merrick Jarrett, Old Chestnuts Song Circle newsletter.

"Sara is a wonderful performer and scholar. Her information about folksongs and their migrations is very important and is not being pursued by many in the generations coming along. She and her son, Kieron Means, perform many of the traditional musical styles (old-time string band, blues, folk, cowboy, Irish, Appalachian) while accompanying them selves on guitar and claw-hammer banjo. Sara is a true American national treasure in the song collecting field." - Tricia Hearn, Ozark Cultural Rescource Centre, Mountain View, Arkansas