Ely Cartwright is a songwriter, singer, guitarist, and composer in Durango, Colorado.
His latest project, One Take Sessions, is available everywhere now.
From his midwestern roots to his home in the Southwest, Ely Cartwright explores the beauty and loss of everyday life in the pursuit of connection.
Described as falling “somewhere between indie-folk and the singer-songwriter sounds of 1970s Laurel Canyon,” Cartwright has spent the last twenty years honing his craft as a songwriter and storyteller. His current project, One Take Sessions, explores those sounds and stories with a raw and real approach, capturing intimate performances of songs he’s written throughout his journey as an artist.
“My little heart is brave as a songbird, singing out before the break of day.”
My Little Heart
One Take Sessions
Out Now
One Take Sessions is an album in three volumes: Vol. 1: Was It You, Vol. 2: My Little Heart, and Vol. 3: Never Tame. Each volume represents an era of writing and an era of the heart. From the heartbreaking breakup songs in Was It You, through the growing love and longing found in My Little Heart, and closing with a nostalgic wistfulness in Never Tame, Durango, Colorado-based singer-songwriter Ely Cartwright uses One Take Sessions as an opportunity to share story and song in a raw, real, and stripped-back format. It captures that feeling of an intimate, in-the-moment performance as if they’re being performed right there in the room: One guitar. One voice. One take.
One Take Sessions
One Take Sessions is an album in three volumes: Vol. 1: Was It You, Vol. 2: My Little Heart, and Vol. 3: Never Tame. Each volume represents an era of writing and an era of the heart.
Was It You - Feb. 9th, 2024
When it comes to shared human experiences, heartbreak is one of the most fundamental. In Was It You, the first volume of Ely Cartwright’s One Take Sessions, Cartwright explores the landscape of the broken heart. Using down to earth imagery from daily life, these songs get inside some of the darkest moments felt through the loss of love, and yet, there remains a tenor of hopefulness in the melodies and lyrics. Was It You is a collection of songs rooted in the belief that beauty can carry us through whatever life throws our way.
My Little Heart - Mar. 22nd, 2024
Love and longing, the push and pull of desire, and falling in and fighting for love are the themes of My Little Heart, volume two of Ely Cartwright’s One Take Sessions. Many artists have fallen prey to “losing their edge” when moving from heartbreak songs to love songs, but Cartwright manages to hold together both the levity and the vulnerability of falling in love. My Little Heart approaches love as the wild animal that it is, beautiful and alluring, but don’t approach too quickly or risk scaring it off. In this volume, Cartwright explores the discovery of love and the hope that it might actually go the distance.
Never Tame - May 3rd, 2024
Never Tame, the third volume of Ely Cartwright’s One Take Sessions, is an exploration of time. Containing songs written as far back as fifteen years prior to recording, Cartwright is looking back to some of his favorite songs as well as those that have connected with his audiences most consistently over the years, none of which have been previously released. The title track and single from this volume, ‘Never Tame,’ depicts the heart of Ely’s wild and loving rescue dog, an inquiry into the delicate balance between freedom and boundaries. Staying content and awake in the present while striving for growth is the creative tension depicted in this third volume of Cartwright’s One Take Sessions.