Portland-area singer-songwriter Laura Gibson releases her third LP on Barsuk Records with an indie folk flare. Every piece of information in that last sentence predisposes me to like this record. Luckily, La Grande does not disappoint.
Laura Gibson - La Grande (2012) – 8.2 / 10.0
Release Date: January 24, 2012
Running Time: 35:44
Label: Barsuk Records
Genre: Alternative Folk, Alternative Singer-Songwriter
Drug of Choice: Peyote
Key Tracks:
"La Grande"
"Skin, Warming Skin"
"The Fire"
I spent a good part of last year talking about the overall excellence of Portland musicians and impressive output of female musicians. With La Grande, Laura Gibson has set out to make me right on both counts again in 2012. Indie fans may have just missed Gibson as one of the first NPR Tiny Desk Concerts or on backing vocals for Decemberists' frontman Colin Meloy's solo record Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke, but Gibson is no rookie and it shows on her third album. La Grande takes its name from a northeastern Oregon town that "people usually pass through on their way to somewhere else, but which contains a certain gravity, a curious energy."Her gentle strength and sentimental landscaping pervade a record that I consider one of the early 'must buys' of the year.
I am always impressed with an artist that is willing to try on different hats throughout a record. Not only does Gibson take that mantle, she does it well in every case. Whether it be the mysterious grandeur of the title track, the traditional folk beauty of "Milk-Heavy, Pollen-Eyed", or the borderline Astrud Gilberto-esque Bossa Nova swing of "Lion/Lamb", this artist does everything she can to keep La Grande from being just another moody indie record without losing her own unique voice in the process.
I particularly appreciate the more gentle trip into Fleet Foxes/Shins territory on "Skin, Warming Skin". Somehow, Gibson finds a way to sound more genuine and earnest than Robin Pecknold did on Helplessness Blues, and that is no small feat. My favorite track here is undoubtedly "The Fire". This blue-eyed soul stomper (complete with boogie-woogie piano breakdown) seems to be the logical extent of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks. This song is nothing short of a singalong classic. Only the bluesy interlude "The Rushing Dark" feels like filler. Even here however, it is apparent that Gibson could take the blues a an interesting place. I can only hope she'll develop that further in the future. At the end of the day, La Grande is fantastic proof that Laura Gibson is a voice every bit as important as her Portland contemporaries. If you don't buy this record, consider it an experience lost.
Purchase Laura Gibson's La Grande
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