Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The act of yearning is one that can never be ignored completely, you can try to shut it out, you can dampen the effects, mask them with other issues in your life, however the ache to experience whatever set your heart aflame in the beginning will always find a way to sneak back in an unguarded moment and take the craving on further, deeper and become more entrenched in the psyche.
The obsession can be healthy, it can lead you places to which you would never thought of heading and in the self titled E.P. by Lauren Davenport, that yearning, the receiving and abandonment of love, of letting go of certain pre-conceived ideas and the yearning that comes with acceptance of your true self, is to be felt, to be celebrated and fought for.
Ms. Davenport’s vocals capture a sensibility, a coveting wrapped in the throb of expression and coupled with a easy going, natural sound at her disposal and one aided by Max Milligan on banjo and mandolin, Andy Brown on bass, Joel Waters on cajon and Rob Bond on pedal steel, Lauren Davenport produces a well enamoured set of songs that capture a piece of her soul, takes it out into the sunlight and allows the natural air of attraction to take shape, to flourish under the spotlight.
The four songs that make up the E.P., the bouncy Riding Shotgun, the wonderfully melancholic and feeling of aural exploitation that resides in Bar With a Country Song, the tender In Your Arms and the dichotomy of With You are filled with honesty, the sacred endeavour of a young woman who has come to realise where her life hopefully might be leading and the course of action she needs to fulfil her dreams.
Lauren Davenport has produced an E.P. that stands out in its kindness, it its ability to pull you away from the noise that surrounds life and offers a sense of calm, of taking a step back from the hassle and realising that at times such a set of songs is enough to see you through the day. A genuine joy, one that confirms that life is at times, there to reflect upon.
Ian D. Hall