Unfailingly sweet, hot and sassy -- every track on this album has something about it that will give you shivers... This is one of the most satisfying albums of the year.

A first-rate fingerpicker who also plays fine bottleneck... Flower straddles the line between blues and jazz, recalling the spirits of Memphis Minnie, Blind Blake, and Louis Armstrong.

Exquisite force and hauntingly poignant vocals... while so many of today's records fade quickly, this is one CD that will always remain a favorite.

Imbued with the kind of piping hot cadences that only the finest Crescent City jazz players can provide... could very well add up to be my pick for blues disc of the year.

A standout album of 2005... Mary’s albums have never shied from introducing less familiar instruments & arrangements, which thankfully livens up our listening experiences.

Flower glides effortlessly through the variegated byways and backwaters of American roots music...

Flower, a world-class fingerstyle and lap-slide guitarist, weighs in on the close relationship between folk-blues and early jazz ...

With refreshingly minimalist arrangements built around Flower's fine finger-style and lap-slide playing, this is a kick from the first downbeat...

Typically marvellous release by master fingerstyle blueswoman...

A bluesy, funky, yet wholly refined take on rural guitar... [Flower] is a master worthy of much wider recognition.

Immaculately played and beautifully produced blues 'n' roots set...

Joyful, celebratory, and unabashedly hopeful... piano and Dixieland horn section perfectly complement Flower’s ragtime-inflected picking and funky lap-steel work.

A truly original musical blend... Bywater Dance features such joyous music-making, even in the midst of the album's blues, that it's likely to lift the spirits of N'awlins-lovin' listeners.

This CD is not strictly folk. It’s not all blues, and it’s not a pure jazz record. Instead, Flower wades into the mouth of a mighty river where they all flow together.

The utterly unpretentious results are endearing and the download must-have, “Last Kind Word Blues,” will haunt you.

Sounds modern and traditional at the same time... Her guitar work is breathtaking and her vocals are warm and inviting.

Once again gives the world notice that Mary Flower is one of the best acoustic artists to be reckoned with...

You don't twice place in the top three at the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship without mastering the fine art of string dancing. And that's exactly what the breezy Bywater Dance lets this acoustic bluesician tastefully do...

Once again, Mary Flower has demonstrated her powerful musical trifecta as performer, arranger and composer...

What is this? Acoustic blues? Ragtime? Americana? New Orleans voodoo? Well… Yes.

Smashing! This is a classy composite that meshes Piedmont with New Orleans. Most highly recommended!

Combines deft fingerpicking & sultry slide playing with the funky textures of her backing musicians... this is tasty stuff. Highly recommended!

Fresh and inventive... Flower is a wonderful ragtime-styled guitar picker and a fine singer, but makes this acoustic album come alive is the interplay with the New Orleans-based backing musicians.

Much more than rootsy blues meets New Orleans... explores styles with the first-take feel of a joyful jam.

As good and authentic a collection of new New Orleans music as one could want...

Sunday opened with Bob Margolin saying to me, "I have to go watch Mary Flower, she's one of my favorites."

A gifted fingerpicker and rising star on the acoustic-blues scene, Flower gets her own signature sound by using open strings and unusual partial chords...

She combines and links together both tradition and innovation to point in new directions, breaking down old boundaries along the way with a glee that comes across on this disc.

I was blown away...

If you closed your eyes, it was difficult to believe that only one person was up on stage...

The tradition of pairing blues/country artists with jazz musicians continues in new and exciting ways...

One of America's finest roots musicians... she has a quality to her voice that harks back to bygone days.