Music has the power to transport people emotionally, connecting them to their hearts and dreams- especially when the music is that of Caren Armstrong . Hector Saldana, music critic for the San Antonio Express , put it this way: "Armstrong's sweet voice and emotional songs will move anyone within earshot." Her songs are passionate and intimate journeys that invite her listeners to explore their own inner landscapes. But this is no new age, la de da princess. "Leave no emotional stone unturned" is her motto. Caren tackles such taboo emotions as anger and fear, along with the more sought after feelings of joy, hope, and love. Hers is new acoustic music, which draws from jazz, folk, country, blues, and pop. It is a style that hangs contemporary subjects on traditional musical bones. She uses the confidence and expressiveness of a seasoned performer to expose a soft vulnerability underlying her frank explorations. It is this combination that has endeared her to fans nationwide.

Recently signed to indie label Wildplum Recordings, Caren's new CD, Independent Girl , is a collection of songs about real life, sung with passion and precision. The new CD features Caren's soaring vocals and strong, soulful guitar playing, supported on various songs by Joe Craven, Derek Jones, Sam Broussard, and Wayne Johnson. There is nothing "made up" about the songs on Independent Girl . Each one has a story behind it drawn from Caren's multicolored life, yet there is a universal quality to her writing that invites you in, like a book you can't put down. The stories she tells are strongly personal, often humorous, and always moving.

Take, for example, the bluntly angry " Stay Away From Me ", which starts with the line "Well, I wish you were a snake so I could skin your ass and roast it on the fire." Caren explains: "If I'm happy, I'm happy, if I'm mad, dang it- I'm mad. Cleanly expressed, anger is such a righteous emotion. It gives us so much information about what we want, and what we fear". The touching " I Feel Your Love " celebrates "Coming to a place where I could allow myself to receive unconditional love." The haunting and beautiful " Leaving Lincoln County " is a metaphor for journeys, about the time between departing and arriving, about the ever-present possibility for miracles, or, more precisely, just about where Caren is now.

Caren was born in Dallas, Texas, and moved to southern California as a child where she taught herself to play guitar at age 10. By the time she was 13 (yes, thirteen), she was teaching guitar at a local music store. While still a teenager, she sang jazz standards with a trio lead by West Coast jazz stalwart Gene Leis. She moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1979 when she signed with Fantasy Records, recording an album in 1980. During the 80's she was leader and front woman for the X-Rays, a locally popular cover band.

In the early 90s, Caren embarked on a solo career featuring her own original songs. She won the Emerging Songwriter Award at the Napa Valley Music Festival in 1995 and won the Songwriting Competition at the 15th annual Tucson Folk Festival in 2000. She has previously released two independent albums (My Own Voice and Every New Day).

A full time musician for over two decades, she earns her living as a songwriter, singer, player, teacher, and producer. She tours nationally, playing over 80 dates per year, is in high demand as a guitar teacher, hosts a monthly songwriter night at Strings Acoustic Showcase (Emeryville, Ca), and has produced albums by artists such as the new acoustic string band Calavaras and art-folkie Lori B.

Caren likes peppermint tea, long walks on empty beaches, dogs, and playing music outdoors. She dreads eating what passes for vegetarian food while touring. Yet life on the road is also full of interesting moments. For example, stranded at the Denver airport for four days and nights during the blizzard of '97, she entertained hundreds of other stranded passengers, leading sing-alongs and sharing her own music. She also did a brisk CD trade, offering a "traveler's special" to her newfound (if captive) fans.

As concert promoter Russ Jennings has noted: "Caren has found a deeply original voice that the listener experiences as coming from within." She has long considered her ability to move people a natural part of the gift of performing. With Independent Girl, the fiery redhead's emotional honesty will continue to close the gap between performer and listener, inviting her ever increasing audiences to join her in experiencing the full range of their emotional beings.