Evelyn Laurie is a singer-songwriter from Paisley, Renfrewshire who classifies her music as Jazz-ish, today I’ll be reviewing her debut album ‘A Little Bit of Me’.
‘Close Your Eyes’ hooked me from the get go, it’s funky and mellow energy just worked for me. I have to say I’ve always been a fan of songs that have this type of swinging energy, and while I’m not one of those people who say they were born in the wrong generation…I like my Phone too much. I do have a passion for jazz, like classic jazz and swing music. It’s expressive and fun and endearing, and Evelyn Laurie’s track captures all that and more.
‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’ is slower than the previous track, tentative piano chords lead us in to Evelyn’s lovely voice, I spoke more about how I feel about this type of music overall previously, but in this track you really start to get a flavour of Evelyn’s music which just flows effortlessly, and is a testament to her skill.
‘I Fall In Love Too Easily’ is another slower song, but you feel every heartfelt piercing note as it hits you, Evelyn’s voice has great charm and presence and works well with these types of songs, and balanced against the soft piano melody, you can just ease into these tracks and let everything fall away.
‘I Love The Way You’re Breaking My Heart’ has a different quality to it, more playful and it shows more range to this talented vocalists repertoire and I’m again just blown away, but how much I’m enjoying these tracks. An uncomplicated melody but one that just reaches you and makes you connect with it.
‘Lullaby of Birdland’ another more upbeat track, this one has a good bounce to it and it works really well, as I said some people can do sad or more deep tracks well, and others do more upbeat tracks, but not all vocalists can manage both so well, Evelyn can and she does deftly with her timelessly beautiful singing.
‘I Love Your Smile’ is one of my favorites on the album, it has all of the quality that I’ve been impressed by on the other tracks so far in the album but just a little something else that pushes it a little higher still. I haven’t really touched on the instrumental backings much yet, but especially on this track the piano accompaniment is superb.
‘In The Dark’ is a little busier than the previous tracks, with horns, piano and strings supporting Evelyn’s voice, I spoke highly of ‘I love Your Smile’ but this track scoops the top slot on the album. It’s powerful, and I ended up listening to it a good dozen or so time in the first week alone after receiving the album for review.
‘Wichita Lineman’ is another strong entry, I’ve only ever heard a male voice cover this song, but Evelyn does it justice and produces an incredible cover of the classic from 1968, injecting her own presence into it. This is another I listened to a good few times, because it just sticks in your head, familiar words but with a new energy and voice behind them.
‘I’m A Fool To Want You’ starts off differently, with strings leading into Evelyn’s vocals, but they back up her voice just as well as the piano, perhaps a little jarring after the previous track but good nonetheless.
‘Fly Away’ is the final track on what has been a spectacular album and I’m sad it’s over but look forward to hearing more from Evelyn, and while it’s last up it does not in any way dissapoint, it’s slow and gentle and beautiful and soothing. Truly an excellent end to ‘A Little Bit of Me’, and that name really does says it all, I do feel like I know Evelyn a little better after hearing this album. Thank you for letting me listen.
So that’s what I thought of Evelyn Laurie’s album ‘A Little Bit of Me’ and if you want to check that out then head on over to Spotify. And you can support the artist by following her on Facebook and Twitter.
First Published on: https://offtherecordblog.org/
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