Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
From picking up a guitar for the first time at the start of one year to releasing an E.P. full of songs that have the strength of character to suggest that the path sometimes least expected is the right one, American folk singer Tamara Laurel strikes all the right notes in what is sure to be an acclaimed release – Lightning.
The E.P. follows on from her debut single released during 2013, the gorgeous sounding I Want You and adds more colour to what is already an astonishing year. The E.P. proves that a musical heartbeat lingers within all of us; it has the unnerving quality to make you pause, to listen to each delicate note played and the underlying ferocity of belief. The quiet determination of being something other than what others may have expected you to be, the iron fist in a well preserved velvet glove.
Tamara Laurel uses the imagery to great effect throughout the five songs on offer on the E.P. and whilst the thoughts of country meets town, the suburban within the heart of the heavily featured terrain of the Western state of Washington melds together it is the thought of a well-travelled young woman who has caught the right vibe at the right time that strolls in the well-presented lyrics.
The tracks themselves are nothing short of breath-taking, like the electric storm that lights up the night sky over a large city, the crash of power that nature forces humanity to respect, Ms. Laurel’s guiding hand over the guitar assumes that power but with the subtleness of feeling. From the initial single of I Want You to tracks such as There Is A Line, the beauty of Pathetic and the goodness of Sweet, there is so much to suggest that Ms. Laurel is going to be around for a long time to come, this is certainly no quick foray into the woods, this is setting up home for a long time to come.
Lightning is released on January 7th 2014.
Ian D. Hall