Praise for The Only Thing That Matters, Star Anna's sophomore album:
"As raw and powerful an album as you’ll hear all year" ... "Some stars burn brief and dim, Star Anna burns like S Doradus gone nova. She and the Dogs deliver passion, grit and rock’n’roll and right now there really isn’t anyone out there to touch them." - Jeremy Searle, Americana UK
"Star Anna is an American original. I am a huge fan of her music and especially her voice. She sings from a place of beauty and pain that translates to my soul and takes me to a higher place. Wherever Star and the Laughing Dogs play I go when I am in town. Her Cds rarely leave my player. In the vein of Neko Case and Lucinda Williams , Star is on her way, I hope to great musical heights. Justin Davis is an awesome guitar player who delivers the hooks and leads that round out Star Anna's sound. I watched Star Anna steal the entire show at our Hootenany for Haiti last year and we had about 16 local and well known musicians playing on and off the whole night!"
- Mike McCready, Pearl Jam
"There’s a dichotomy at play with the record and Star Anna herself, a strange marriage of untouchable toughness with an edge of danger and startling soul-barring, heart-exposing honesty in her words and her voice. There is such a technical proficiency to the album and such confidence radiating from Star Anna when she sings, it can at times seem aloof — but then her voice cracks with emotion as she begs you to hold on and she seems as fragile, as tough. There is something delightfully complex about Star Anna, something that makes you want to listen more loudly, more closely and just, more." - Abby Simmons, Sound on the Sound
"Being a female singer-songwriter, it’s hard to separate yourself from the pack, but Anna and the boys do it just fine. They have the talent to flawlessly break your heart with alt-country gems and getting you rocking with a 1970s vibe. Anna’s lyrics come off like she is at risk with her honesty, but she is valiant in her efforts to dust herself off and get back on her feet again." - Innocent Words Magazine
"Her band, the Laughing Dogs, frame Anna's impassioned voice in an Americana embrace that elevates and underline's the singer's delightful mix of sweet sincerity and husky gravity. When it comes to dulcet sounds, Star Anna is among the ripest around." - Shawn Telford, seattlepi.com.
"..this raging electrical successor to the sensational debut Crooked Path is simply mind blowing..." - Johnny's Garden
"Una voce piena di passione country soul, ballate elettriche semplici e accattivanti, una scintilla di Americana sound che viene travolta da una decisa carica elettrica: ... le chitarre di Justin Davis (bravo e misurato, ruvido al punto giusto) e la sezione ritmica formata da Frank Johnson e Travis Yost hanno preso una piega chiaramente rock." - Disc of the month - Sounds Highway (Italy)
Translation: "..a voice full of passionate country soul, has powerful yet simple ballads that become eye-catching. The "spark of Americana sound" becomes overwhelmed with electrical charge provided by the Laughing Dogs ... the guitarist Justin Davis is powerful yet measured, rough enough to satisfy the ear, and the rhythm section of Frank Johnson and Travis Yost bring in true rock flavor.
"Perhaps most strikingly, there is no depth to which Anna's compositions cannot dive, and no topic is off the table here. The dire passion behind her vocals and the delivery of her lyrics are as earnest as they are unquenchable, which is precisely what makes this album so stirring" - Kim Ruehl, Sound Magazine
"It's equal parts trashy Americana-laced rock mixed with sophisticated storytelling and charm that raises Anna and her band, The Laughing Dogs, to the gritty level of greatness." ... "It’s a cathartic jubulation that stands as another exceptional release from a master crafter of songs and her great band."- Twang Nation
"Ellensburg’s Star Anna debuted last year with Crooked Path, a promising album of rootsy alt-country, and while the roots influence is still there on her 2nd album, Star and her band have cranked up the electricity, giving her emotionally scarred songs an additional rock ‘n’ roll punch. Her throaty, aching vocals sound better than ever, and the band earns their co-billing with tight, tough-sounding accompaniment. Crooked Path was a great beginning, but this one packs a mightier wallop". -Don Yates KEXP
The artist clearly has something to say, about love and temptation and all the darker sides of her experience. She displays her emotions without hesitation, like fireflies in a jar - Missoula Independent
