”Marsh Girl”

By Casey Noel

Inspired by the bestselling novel Where the Crawdads Sing, Casey penned this haunting musical tribute about a young girl growing up abandoned and alone in North Carolina marshland.

Her ethereal voice rings against a backdrop of eerie, swampland sounds to create a sense of both foreboding and hope. It’s one of six tracks on Casey’s new debut EP, “Not Just Pretty Words.” The album’s arrangements percolate with a driving rhythm section, lush harmonies, mandolin and fiddle, and atmospheric touches like weeping electric guitar and bowed bass from accompanying musicians. Other notable songs include the rollicking, country-pop “Prove Me Wrong” and the mandolin-driven title track “Pretty Words.”

Even though she’s played guitar since she was five years old, Casey’s main passion was competitive ballroom dancing until age 17. She then decided to focus on music, and credits key industry professionals for helping her blossom as a songwriter and singer.

“My favorite music makes me feel things deeply,” she says. “And I want people to be able to feel things from my songs. That’s my goal.”

Casey also believes in giving back and in college launched and hosted Spotlight Sessions, a recurring Americana songwriters-in-the-round event at Greensboro’s Carolina Theatre.