Connie Mims “GO DEEP” ©2008 (Canela) Review by Lucky Boyd After a successful career with seventies phenoms Wheatfield and St. Elmo’s Fire, now comes the long-awaited solo project from Connie Mims. A respected icon in the Houston music scene, and a talented performer, Connie Mims brings her seasoned skills to GO DEEP, a ten-cut collection of her recognizable progressive style. Blending influences from folk, rock, pop, and country, Mims pens the majority of the album and delivers in memorable fashion. Connie Mims has been known for her chameleonic voice, but she stays true to her own sound on this recording, letting fans quite easily fall in love with her artistic side. The opening cut is destined to be a fan favorite. Two-steppers will enjoy the empowering “Cowgirl Up” and lovers will be dedicating “That’s The Way My Love Is” (co-write with Mark Beets) for a long time to come. The title cut exemplifies life as we should all know it, as Mims writes introspectively about finding the higher purpose in all of us. This is the album Connie Mims has always wanted to make. It is an intimate visit between performer and listener and may quickly become your favorite album. It will certainly stay in this reviewer’s player for many more rounds. Stats: Ten cuts, five written by Mims (BMI), two by Mims and Gordon Payne (BMI), one by Jack Saunders (ASCAP), one by Mark Beets (BMI), and one by Mims and Beets. Credits include Rick Richards, MTM Member Jack Saunders, Riley Osbourn, Cameron Parsons, Rankin Peters, Tommy Peters, Larry Ratajczak, Eleanor Whitmore, Chip Dolan (yes, the Chip Dolan), David Spencer, Derek O’Brien, Tommy Dardar, and MTM Member Mark Beets. Produced by Jack Saunders. Full color jewel case. Lyrics in insert Full color disc. Replicated. – (p) 2008 Canola Records - Running time: 39 minutes. Previous notes: CONNIE MIMS began her musical career in Houston in 1973 as a part of the acoustic group Wheatfield which evolved into the folk-rock band St. Elmo's Fire, performing everywhere from the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas to The Troubadour in Los Angeles, to the American Festival in Chiba, Japan. She has co-written and toured two original rock ballets with the Houston, Chicago, Dallas and Fort Worth ballet companies; appeared in the first season of the PBS series Austin City Limits and in the classic Blue Bell Ice Cream commercial known as "Texas Musicians". Her comedic vocal impersonations of well-known recording artists were made popular on the nationally syndicated Q-Zoo in the Morning radio network. She is an avid supporter of the Texas Music Industry and is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association, is a co-founder of The Woodlands Songwriters Association, and currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Texas Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. A songwriter and publisher affiliate with BMI, Connie won an Honorable Mention Award in the 2004 CMT/NSAI Songwriting Contest, and was also selected as one of the artists on the 2005 H.A.A.M. CD, Songs From The Stack. An accomplished vocalist, performer, songwriter and stage coach, she performs periodically around the state as a solo performer, and with musical partner Craig Calvert as Calvert & Mims, and tours bi-annually with the group Wheatfield. "WHEATFIELD" ©2004 Canela Records Notes by Lucky Boyd The disc is produced by Craig Calvert, and Connie Mims is the Executive Producer. For those who followed either band in the 70’s, this album is a walk down memory lane. The studio recordings are blissful as vocal blends and perfect orchestration bring back the sounds that filled our spirits in those fun-filled days. The live recordings are a reminder of why we love music. These one-take masterpieces exemplify the sounds of the day while creating a timeless groove that no modern-day imitator could master. The band’s timing is flawless and Mims steals the spotlight with her ethereal renditions on these rare recordings. As a reviewer, I found myself enamored with the fact that I was listening to music created thirty years ago that still had the stuff to be a big hit right here, right now, today. You must own this album.