Search - Laurie Lewis :: Love Chooses You

Talented musician and songwriter

05/31/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my favorite of Laurie Lewis' work- it showcases both her wonderful fiddling and beautiful lyrics- many which she wrote herself. I am amazed at how little she is known considering the talent she has. Nightbird and The Light are some of the most beautiful and haunting songs I've ever heard. Please come back to Seattle for another performance!"

Worth it for the songs

Tony Thomas | SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA | 03/02/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Well, you can't really put Allison etc on Laurie. Laurie's really an instrumentally gifted continuator of the California country folk music most excellently done by the author of the title song the great Kate Wolf. Laurie is so much classier, more honest, and direct and a better tighter leader and musician. Of course, this isn't what I desire if I am buying a bluegrass album for my bluegrass taste. The album is led and produced, the songs are arranged to put the singing first, and the singing is almost always non bluegrass and the band isn't particularly bluegrass here. The songs are put first. The star of this record is Laurie's great clear and expressive singing, her and other's song. Laurie's playing here on guitar, banjo, and fiddle great here and the sidemen and women she brings onto this CD as guests are superb. You buy it for the singing and the songs. In a certain way, Laurie has used the tools of bluegrass and other forms of older country music and folk to express herself in her own songs and in a very good selection of songwriter songs and traditional tunes. She's not trying to replace Kenny Baker or masquerade as Hazel Dickens. She's also speaking to a lot of reality. I love the Hills of Home here, because I have never really seen the hills of Kentucky or West Virginia, but I truly miss the Berkeley Hills Laurie sings about here. I also happen to like "I'd Be Lost without You," which gives you a small dose of Laurie's other musical persona as a top notch big jazz band bass player and mistress of that music as well with a real torch song. The song I bought this album for, indeed, the song that got me to notice Laurie is "Texas Bluebonnets." I heard her sing it at Merle Fest, I think in 1992 or 1993. She did it with Grant Street the band she was part of then, and did a great twin fiddle rendition of Adolph Hofner's Jesse Polka an old South Texas Czech tune in the break in this tune. It's a great tune which is an amalgam of Tex Mex and Western Swing. On this album the Great Buddy Emmons sits in and does some great breaks. The song is great, I kept playing it on the guitar both western and Mexicano for weeks after I go this record just to sing it. On this CD it is a real picker's piece.And Laurie keeps singing, keeps picking, keeps doing it better and better too!"