What Critics are Saying about Anna Stafford
String Music

"Anna Stafford is an up-and-coming violinist whose songs have much more in common with modern rock and pop bands than traditional classical music composers. She has already performed with well-known entertainers like LeAnn Rimes, Andrea Bocelli, Kelly Clarkson, and more. String Music presents eleven original compositions that highlight Anna's abilities with the violin…. String Music is certainly pleasant and upbeat...and will likely be quite successful in the world of commercial music."
- Babysue

"There is classical music and there is rock music, and for those of you who think ‘never the twain shall meet,’ let me be the first to introduce you to violin virtuoso and string quartet innovatress, Anna Stafford. Sporting a Master’s degree in composition, Ms. Stafford obviously knows her way around Bach and Beethoven. But the Washington native’s innate love for down and dirty rock ‘n’ roll infuses this album with an attitude that lifts it out of the realm of classical and into a genre that is more akin to… well, rock ‘n’ roll; but not really. You’re just gonna have to hear it to understand."
- buddyhollywood, Mike Parker

"Like the tag on her site proclaims, “This is NOT your ordinary string music.” The sounds echo classical orchestral arrangements, but with a decidedly modern feel, influenced by her love of music, both current and classical. The album shines with thoroughly creative tracks like “Crushed Berries,” “Wilson Said,” “Chromosomes," and “Fourteen Feet”; Stafford has an excellent knack for composition, creating tracks that bounce effortlessly between genres, styles, and blank.

I’d thoroughly recommend this CD to anyone who’s looking for a nice alternative for the pop music lover in their life. It’s a good listen, it has depth, and more importantly, it helps prove that it is not the choice of instrument that defines the music, it is the musician."
- Brian Lynch, The Celebrity Café
- Rating 9/10

"Have strings, will travel—and rock! Since hopping over to L.A. after getting her Master’s in composition from Arizona State in 2002, violin virtuoso Anna Stafford been the go-to girl for everyone who needs an extra cool kick to their classical music…what Stafford really wants to do is rock—which she does with abandon on her explosive, critically acclaimed solo debut CD String Music, which features eleven eclectic originals."
- HollywoodReporter.com

"This is a nice instrumental album. If you like strings. And luckily I do….There are some really intense moments such as on Green Walls. Where it almost sounds rock-ish…. I am not educated in classical or string music but I will say it’s lovely."
- Katrina Carlson, Collected Sounds

"Do not expect pure traditional violin music here. Anna Stafford takes traditional violin music and brings it to the next level... I have never heard violin being played like this before. Her solo debut album String Music goes beyond typical classical music and beyond my imagination. There is no doubt that Anna Stafford is an artistic and exceptional violinist and composer."
- Pat Trabi, Shakefire.com

"A classically trained musician who recorded a symphonic work for the Tacoma Youth Symphony but also loved Pearl Jam, Metallica and Live, the Gig Harbor, Washington native’s goal was to create a hybrid style that was idiomatic to a string quartet but in keeping with the theme of classical/rock crossover."
- EZentertainment.net

"Anna is reaching for an audience with pop sensibilities, like myself....Green Walls, is also intriguing – it starts off very light, almost Beatlesque in tone, and half way through develops a voice of its own, exploiting the strengths of the voices working together to create storm-like tonalities for a climax, with a repeat to reassure us that composition still includes anti-climax to bring the listener down….Traditional pop with strings, complete with a totally expected ending. Fun stuff. This one is worth savoring."
- Eartaste.blogspot.com

Anna Stafford's unique take on classical music mixed with off-center pop/rock makes for a curious though often engaging blend. Her work in mainstream and alternative rock (from Christina Aguilera and INXS, to Thrice and Lacuna Coil), and playing with symphony orchestras have certainly guided her to a fascinating place between, where the music rises and glides, dives and flows, with shifting time signatures. The stand-out tracks include Beatle--ish (as in Eleanor Rigby) "Wilson Said," the forceful "Green Walls," Kinks-like (think "Sunny Afternoon) "Crushed Berries," and melancholy yet comforting "Chromosomes." Very different...and very good.
- Darryl Morden, Buzzine