Joe Ferguson, TexasFlood Internet Radio: "Three bars into the first track, and I was hooked." Lou King, The Montgomery Journal: "One thing's for sure, Mason can play … with all the fuzzy frenzy of a young Eric Clapton, during Slowhand's blues-acolyte phase. Brian Spencer, KUNV 91.5 FM, Las Vegas, NV: "Smokin’ debut! One fine CD with one fine band.” John Horney, The Capital (Annapolis, MD): "She lays down some ferocious guitar riffs that make you sit right up and take notice…a great guitar player.” Jason Stelluto, Chesapeake Music Guide: "Melanie Mason has a smoking CD on her hands. Susie Mudd, Publisher, Music Monthly: "Mason’s guitar work is mesmerizing. She plays as if it is second nature to her. Her voice, also mind-boggling, is exceptional, a perfect blues voice.” Karen Liebowitz, Music Monthly: "Melanie Mason's Bendin' the Blues tells it like it is. For twelve cuts, you get the pleasure of hearing a very solid guitarist cut her way through the passageway they call the blues.” Ray O’Hare, Blues Matters Review Magazine, Britain: "From the day this CD dropped on my desk I just cannot stop playing it … 10 out of 10. Martin Davies, Radio Maldwyn, Newton, Wales: "A great newcomer with a fresh approach, but also a feeling for the great traditions of classic blues. Very popular with my listeners here in Britain.” Franz Richter, Concerto Magazine, Austria: "Singer, songwriter and guitarist Melanie Mason is a very unique artist for sure. There seems to emerge a new star in the blues scene on guitar as well as vocals. A great promise for the future.” Gert-Olive Fridlund, Hallandsposten, Sweden: "Everything is convincing on this debut album. Melanie Mason certainly belongs to the most colorful female artists in the blues today." ”

— Bendin' the Blues CD

Hal Horowitz, Blues Revue Magazine: “Mason's supple guitar work is exemplary throughout. She slides and picks with an obvious understanding of the desolate qualities that make this music so timeless...It's a beautifully rendered album that expresses the sorrow, pain and the hopelessness long-gone bluesmen experienced.” Tom Clarke, Allman Brothers Magazine Hittin' the Note: “For Lonesome Is I, Mason chose to perform unaccompanied, picking intricate streams of notes on her acoustic while singing mostly standards in a charming voice...That a pair of Mason’s own tunes fit so naturally next to those of Johnson, McTell, Hurt, et al. gives clear indication of her stunning talent. Get on board.” Carolyn Feola, Takoma Voice.: “Lonesome Is I, Melanie's acoustic homage to her genre, is simply one of the best blues albums I've ever heard...This whole CD is like a Tennessee whiskey–so smooth and mellow that one round just ain't enough.” Gary Weeks, Atlanta Blues Society, Blues on Stage: “This girl will command attention and transport you to the crossroads, if you're ready for the ride." Elliott Gross, Programmer, WPFW 89.3 FM (Washington, D.C.): The sound/recording quality on this album is excellent, as the fingerwork clearly shines through...The album also illustrates the depth of Melanie's talent and her versatility.””

— Lonesome Is I CD

  Eric Thom, Blues Revue Magazine... Mason doesn’t stake her claim on her sultry looks; instead, she puts her sturdy guitar and vocals front and center… Inhibited she is not: Her guitar work on Thrill Is Gone, Castles Made of Sand, and (especially) Before You Accuse Me where organist Tommy Lepson leaps to the fore on vocals, is eye-opening. And Mason can unleash absolutely monster axe when she needs to, as Love’s Slow Burn, minus the subtleties, demonstrates. She seems to shine brightest on her own compositions, such as Gospel by the River, where her attack recalls Robert Cray even as her vocals cook up something uniquely hers. Keep your eye on this lady.   Tom Clarke, Elmore Magazine... Currently a hot property in the Washington , D.C. area, Mason’s passion for the blues has turned into a mission with huge promise…This lady can write. And she’s on her way. 'I hear something in blues music–especially guitar blues–that really captivates me and takes me to another place,' she says. Her recent two records have that exact effect.   Michael Macey, Chesapeake Bay Music Guide... Already established as one of the areas best blues writers and players, Mason’s strong suit is her live shows and this record catches Mason at her best. Offering up a mix of originals and classic tunes, Live at Blues Alley is one of the best sounding live records I’ve heard in a long time. It captures all the subtle tones of Mason’s guitar work as well as the intensity that happens during an inspired live performance.   Carolyn Feola, Takoma Park Voice... Melanie carves her place in D.C. music history with a preserved performance at the legendary Blues Alley. Her singular voice and hangin’-with-the-best blues guitar are in fine form, as expected, but she does include some surprises. A duet with Tommy Lepson on Before You Accuse Me is a fun romp, and Hendrix fans will be pleased to meet her version of Castles Made of Sand.”

— Live at Blues Alley CD