Review Summary: Laura Stevenson's voice is one that goes straight to the heart.
Laura Stevenson has one of those voices that can really captivate the listener. In many ways her voice helps achieve catharsis, immediately overflowing her listener’s soul with deep emotion. If Laura Stevenson does not touch your heart through her beautiful voice, you are not human. Her voice is very peaceful and comforting, and an electric shock of chills flowing down your spine should be expected while listening to A Record.
Baby Bones, the opening track of A Record, kicks off the album with some acoustic guitar and Laura’s signature vocals. She has an amazing voice, which is displayed throughout the record. The song also highlights the great horn section and is an overall good way to start the album. The following tracks display more of Laura’s soft-yet-powerful singing, acoustic guitar, and horns.
One of the songs, Landslide Song/The Dig, is a fast-paced, punk/lo-fi song, containing an energetic flurry of distortion and horns. This is one of the catchier and more upbeat tracks on the album. It is a break from the other songs on the album, and helps keep the album sounding fresh and varied. The tempo is slowed back down on the next song, Nervous Rex, a solemn piece that really illuminates Laura’s warming voice through the use of only a minimal amount of acoustic guitar. With the next few tracks, Ms. Stevenson’s voice shines through yet again, backed by guitar and occasional drums and horns. The album closes with Beets Untitled, a quirky song featuring plenty of horns and guitar, slowly building up as the song progresses. The song is a great way to finish off the album.
This is overall an awesome album; however, it does have its flaws. The album can get a bit repetitive, due to many of the tracks sounding similar. This is not much of an issue due to its short length, which could be seen as a flaw itself. The album is only 8 songs, clocking in at just under 23 minutes. When all is said and done, this album is an immensely enjoyable listen, and demonstrates that Laura Stevenson and the Cans have great potential that I will look forward to seeing in the next few years. AND IT’S FREE.
http://www.quoteunquoterecords.com/qur019.htm
4/5
