Lizzy
Lehman – A Place I Know You’ll Love (Independent)
Born in Evanston, Illinois, Lizzy Lehman moved to
Portland at the end of her teens and became a regular attendee at the Kerrville
Folk Festival. She relocated to Austin in 2011 and musically she’s been busy
ever since. “A Place I Know You’ll Love” is her second solo album (her debut
“Old Reminders” came out in 2009) and she plays with two groups, a trio with
Nick Droz and Dylan Stephens, and she’s an integral member of Americana outfit,
The Blackwells, singing, playing guitar and percussion.
Her solo work also falls in the ‘Americana’ category,
though very much at the folkier end of the spectrum. She writes songs about
places and people she knows, and does so in a way that involves the listener,
almost as if we’re becoming part of the narrative, simply by hearing her
stories.
Lehman begins with “Summer Song”. It’s a full band
sound, with what seems to be violin, keyboards and banjo adding plenty of
depth, not dissimilar to Dylan circa “Desire”. It’s got a great hook, and it
snags deep. “Stranger” confirms her talent for pop smarts, and indeed, there’s
nothing on “A Place I Know You’ll Love” that doesn’t attach itself to the part
of the brain that causes spontaneous whistling and sing-a-longs. Perhaps my
favourite is “Nothing to Say”, a percussion
heavy lament that brings to mind Nick Cave, Dylan again, and gypsy carnivals
your parents preferred you didn’t frequent.
Simon M.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.