Called "iconic" by some, Tret Fure has given her voice and her technical know-how to the music industry since she started out in the studio in the early 1970s. She was one of the first female sound engineers and demonstrated a mastery of all things related to the workings of the recording studio. Tret produced countless recordings and worked with a variety of artists like Little Feat, Spencer Davis, J. Geils Band, Yes, Cris Williamson, and Bonnie Raitt. After a while she decided to dive into her own recording career and maintain complete artistic control, and she has managed to do just that. She’s been a major player in the field since 1973 and has recorded ten albums to date.

Fure’s name is indelibly etched in the mind of anyone who was aware of the women’s music movement of the early 1970s. Tret was known as the guitarist with an edge, and indeed has a harder edge to her music than many women performers with a lighter, more pop-oriented appeal. Her sound is unique and her lyrics, far from sappy and mundane. They reflect a clear, compassionate understanding of love and life.

Winner of the prestigious South Florida Folk Festival Songwriting Competition and recipient of the Phyllis Schilessman Award for Outstanding Contributions to Women’s Music, Fure has received wide acclaim from music critics and fans all over the country. She can’t simply be filed under “women’s music” anymore, since she has broadened her styles across musical genres. As Sing Out! says of her newest recording, “Anytime Anywhere,” “there’s something here for everybody!” Fure says of this new album, “I went back to my roots in folk music. I think this is my best work.” One critic calls the album a “mature effort that surely ranks among Fure’s finest works and will be savored by old-time fans and new fans alike.”

All of Fures’s songs spotlight her gift for creating lyrical and musical vignettes, whether it’s her signature piano ballad, “That Side of the Moon”; “Ancestors,” the moving and beautiful story of her Norwegian grandparents, or the gorgeous love song, “Dream Time.” Another music writer says: “Acoustic guitars and various percussion instruments permeate the album, and Fure’s strong vocals breathe amazing life into her songs. The entire album consistently conveys Fure’s energetic spirit and passion for life.”

Tret Fure

And forget all the labels because “My Shoes” touches upon universal themes like love, longing, peace, and social justice. It’s also a real potpourri of musical styles, with touches of rock, pop, folk, and country shining through. . . . She has never sounded better, reaching down for husky low notes one moment, then climbing to the top of the scales the next. this mature effort surely ranks among Fure’s finest works and will be savored by old-time fans and new fans alike.  R Weir, Sing Out!