GENRE / STYLE - R&B
REVIEW CD - YOU & ME
MUSIC ARTIST - LADY
COPYRIGHT 2011 ROPEADOPE LLC
 |
| You & Me by LADY
© 2011 |
The album you & me by the band Lady, is a concept album about relationships. Just like most relationships, the CD has many different layers and textures to it. I am sure that everyone can relate to trust, hopes, dreams, fear, and sometimes pain that can be experienced through a relationship. All of these can happen at the same time, making a relationship complex. Because of it's nature, questions can arise from one party to another. Within the new release "you & me" the band Lady has opened up their collective soul to explore relationships and the questions that come during the good times and during the end times. Each song is ether asking a question or answering one about the relationship, to the enjoyment of all of us to hear. On this whole album, they have artistically done this with an intelligent, safe, and comfortable feeling.
If feelings had a voice of truthful intelligence it would sound like Kate Foust's vocals on this CD. Her vocals are warm and inviting. Her vocals can be vulnerable and moving. Feelings in a relationship can change in range from time to time and so can Kate Foust. The vocals can be sweet & pretty ("Honey Bee") or anxious ("How Did You Know") or they can hurt & be raw ("I Believe In You") but her vocals always remain true to the song that it is in. She allows you to be vulnerable with her but yet you feel safe to explore this side of one's soul. Some may compare her vocals with artists like K.D. Lang or others, however I would tend to disagree. Kate Foust is an good original vocal artist in her own right.
You can not pigeon hold this album as strictly classic R&B. The music does contain Rhythm and it does contain Blues but it also contains a whole lot more. The tunes are mostly upbeat and contain many different influences. The songs are very creative, using anything without worry or the stigma of being too outside of the box. The band builds into the songs little traces of jazz & country, or what ever fits to build the framework. The music does a very good job of framing the picture of the vocals and yet it is a work of art that can stand on it's own. The songs are new and fresh but have a familiar feel. At times the music on this album, just like the vocals, can reach inside and stir up the soul without piercing the skin or hurting your ego.
Lady, the musicians, sound tight and a very solid on the "you & me" album. The music performance itself sounds crisp and clear in the recording and in the mix. What else would anyone expect from the Grammy Winning Legend Phil Nicolo. His universe of work continues to shine on just about everything he touches. This album is another one of his bright stars.
The Artwork and packaging is classy and elegant. It has a warm, soft, and feminine feel to it. The one knock about the CD artwork that I must address is that the disc itself does not have song titles or contact info on them. Many people loose CD cases. I know that I am guilty of being one of those who takes a CD to the car or to the computer or lend it to somebody or leave it in the stereo. I sometimes end up loosing the case. How will I know what song I am listening to or without a case ? There is no website info on the disc, so how can I find out the next time they are playing in my town ?
I was recently involved in a conversation with a couple of musicians (ok, THEY were musicians, I am just a music fan). We were discussing the popularity of Bruce Springsteen. A guitarist, I will call "Troy" (some names in the blog may or may not be changed to protect the guilty), suggested that Springsteen's music is "polarizing." His thought was that most people ether like or dislike Springsteen. He is 100% correct. I would say that it goes even further that just one artist. I believe that the polarizing thought process applies to all music. We here at Original Music Reviews think that music should be classified into only two types of music: good & bad. (the REAL Bad music we do not post a review) Music is an opinionated subject and anyone can debate which artist is good and which one is bad. At the end of the day, some will like something and others will disagree. What does this have to do with this review of "you & me" by LADY ? Music may be polarizing but this album has a little of something for everyone and it is all good.
This album is recommended for you to listen to on a lazy Sunday Morning. If you can't read or don't know how to feel in a relationship, then this album is not for you (coloring books don't count as reading). If you enjoy sipping your coffee and reading your favorite Sunday paper, while listening to nice soft piece of warm music being played in the background, then this album is right for you. The CD is filled with colors of emotion and can be at times very stimulating to one's heart, just like that morning's first cup of brew. One's ear pallet, can taste many lightly seasoned tid-bits of influences from everything from R&B to jazz to even today's country. All done slightly without being overbearing. No bitter after taste heard here. Yummy. Yes it is true, Good music is always good music. Lady's new album, you & me, is Good to the last
With 2 months left in the year 2011, Lady's album "you & me" just may be the best new indie CD release, that I have heard this whole year.
-Alex
OriginalMusicReviews.BlogSpot.com
As always, all comments are welcome below.
LADY
Kate Foust - Vocals & Keys
Jim Scanlan - Bass & Vocals
Elizabeth Zook - Violin & Vocals
Daniel Ryan Belski - Guitar & Vocals
James Dudas - Drums
band website: www.yesitslady.com
Guest Musicians on "you & me" CD
Greg Rosen - Trumpet
Joe Anderson - Trumpet
Jarred Antonacci - Trombone
Bryan Blaker - Saxophone
Recorded, Mixed, & mastered
by Phil Nicolo at STUDIO 4
(yes, the Grammy Legend)
LADY-you & me COPYRIGHT 2011 Ropeadope LLC
you & me by Lady Available on iTunes
Order a CD copy online HERE
STUDIO 4