Track Listings (12) - Disc #1| All Artists: Thea Gilmore Title: Liejacker Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label: Rykodisc Original Release Date: 1/1/2008 Re-Release Date: 9/23/2008 Genres: Folk, International Music, Pop, Rock Styles: Contemporary Folk, Europe, Britain & Ireland, Adult Contemporary, Singer-Songwriters, Adult Alternative Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPC: 014431095825 |
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Search - Thea Gilmore :: Liejacker
 | Thea Gilmore Liejacker Genres: Folk, International Music, Pop, Rock
From the first dramatic, guitar-strumming moments of lead-off track Old Soul, Thea Gilmore s Liejacker exerts a strong emotional and musical pull. You can t tear your ears away, and with good reason. As Gilmore herself say... more » |
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Product Description From the first dramatic, guitar-strumming moments of lead-off track Old Soul, Thea Gilmore s Liejacker exerts a strong emotional and musical pull. You can t tear your ears away, and with good reason. As Gilmore herself says, Essentially what you hear in Liejacker is the transition from the darkest point of my life to probably the lightest. The 28 year-old British singer-songwriter, whose riveting voice at times recalls the elegance of Annie Lennox, has been making intensely personal, socially aware music to considerable acclaim in her homeland since she was a teenager. London s Independent regards her as the best wordsmith of her generation. Uncut labeled Gilmore the best British singer/songwriter of the last ten years - and then some. Liejacker, Gilmore s eighth album, is a bracingly honest testament to hard-fought emotional battles won and to the life-saving power of music. It represents a new beginning for Gilmore; she s found a supportive label, got married, had a son and, on her own, fashioned these wise, poignant songs. The overall feeling of Liejacker is uplifting and redemptive, from the yearning of Old Soul to the examination of the dark impulses stirring within all of us on Icarus Wind to the romantic rapprochement of Breathe. The album s first single is the joyous stunner, Come Up With Me, a newly written track that is only available on the North American release of Liejacker. On the title, Thea says, Making music is one of your best chances in life to be honest. Writing songs is about telling your truths. But you know, the way marketing has gone, there is an assumption that people who take the trouble to buy music can have the wool pulled over their eyes, that they can be sold any s**t and as long as the story behind the act is sensational enough they'll keep coming back for more. I don't buy into that. As a listener I can hear dishonesty, when people aren't really living what they're singing about. But there are those that will always kick against that. There are a lot of Liejackers out there. I want to make it clear I line up alongside them. This collection of songs is very much a journey, with some vertiginous twists and turns, and Gilmore s destination ultimately turns out to be home. As she explains The idea of exploring the feelings of home and where your roots are have always been quite pertinent to me. I think Liejacker as an album, explores those feelings from a geographical home to a spiritual home, a metaphorical home. There is a big part of me, Gilmore continues, that feels the States are the spiritual home for the music I make. The UK is all well and good, but when it comes to people understanding what I do, I think the only place to be is over here. Similarly Requested CDs
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CD Reviews(4.5 STARS) MORE GOOD STUFF FROM A SINGER-SONGWRITER WITH A Colin Spence | Formby, UK | 05/20/2008 (5 out of 5 stars) "This is a review of the Import version of 'Liejacker'. Thea Gilmore has had her fair share of health and relationship problems over recent years; also, a change of record label will have created some contractual pressures. You might expect, therefore, that 'Liejacker' would be a below par effort. I am glad to say that this is far from the case - TG returns from the emotional abyss with an album that is unlikely to disappoint her fans. If you are new to her music, and you like good female vocalists and contemporary folk-pop/folk-rock with graceful melodies and interesting lyrics, then TG's music may be for you. She does not attempt to sing with a North American accent and her English accent is fairly neutral. Her music is not for superficial listening and, if you are unfamiliar with her work, Avalanche is, in my opinion, a little more accessible and might be a better place to start. Compared with 'Harpo's Ghost' and 'Avalanche', 'Liejacker' is much gentler and with 'warmer' semi-acoustic instrumental accompaniment (synthesized sounds are barely to be heard); and the overpowering production, which reared its ugly head occasionally on 'Harpo's Ghost', is conspicuously absent on this album. In common with previous albums, you get a very stylish sound - thanks to some skilful, modern production and mixing; also, 'The Wrong Side' features some quirky instrumental sounds. Jazz-folk-rock singer/songwriter Erin McKeown provides backing vocals on one track and Steve Wickham (The Waterboys) plays fiddle on another (not to be missed). Listen out too for some tasteful cello playing (Laura Reid) on the first three tracks. As ever, TG is in fine form vocally - her smooth mezzo-soprano is as 'clear as a bell' whilst still retaining a 'sultry-breathy' quality on a few songs (especially on the spine-chilling 'And You Shall Know No Other God But Me'). TG has always used an abundance of vibrantly colouful words in her lyrics, but with this album, she eases back a little to produce songs which are lyrically more mature. Her lyrics are often enigmatic and full of symbolism, making them somewhat difficult to fathom out - so I'll make it easy for myself and say no more, other than it's obvious that her personal experiences have inspired many of the lyrics. The songs are mainly slow to medium tempo - there are a few up tempo ones but there are no incisive rockers like 'Heads Will Roll', 'We Built A Monster' or 'Cheap Tricks'. There are two fine duets, one with Dave McCabe (The Zutons) and the other with Joan Baez. All songs are written by TG, except for her imaginative interpretation of Dead Or Alive's 'You Spin Me Right Round' (available on the 'import' pressing only). If you really want to hear what TG and her producers can do with other artists' songs, I can thoroughly recommend 'Loft Music' - this album includes songs written by John Fogerty, Neil Young, Van Morrison, The Ramones and Phil Ochs amongst others. Lyrically and vocally, this is an outstanding album and, although lacking some of the 'bite' and stridency of 'Harpo's Ghost', you will still find plenty of edgy lyrics in many songs (for example : 'Black Letter', 'Roll On', 'The Wrong Side' or 'And You Shall Know No Other God But Me'). The melodies are good, but not quite as 'instant' as a few on 'Avalanche' or 'Harpo's Ghost' (but they do grow on you). There are many fine songs, everyone will have there own favourites - mine were : 'Old Soul', 'Black Letter', 'Roll On', 'The Wrong Side', 'The Lower Road' and 'You Spin Me Right Round' (arguably, the weakest song by comparison - but it's fun to listen to); 4.5 stars. " A Great Effort From A Great Artist. southpaw | Iowa USA | 09/24/2008 (5 out of 5 stars) "A very rich and textured offering from an artist who deserves to be A Big Thing here in the U. S.(if she wants to be.) On Liejacker, Thea proves to be an extremely talented songwriter...her best works to date. From the first time I heard her version of Van Morrison's "Crazy Love"(from Loft Music), I have been a huge fan, and with Liejacker, now I am an even bigger admirer.Hard to pick a best song on this one..so I won't even try. Thea, can't wait till you come across the pond and show this country what you are all about." Liejacker Honest and True Savica | Colorado | 08/17/2008 (5 out of 5 stars) "I've been a Thea Gilmore fan for years. My friends and family are amazed every time I share an album with them. Liejacker combines all the wonderful qualities she has - lyrics, melody, performance. She really is the best female singer/songwriter out there. I read in an early review that her musical parents are Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell - she does them proud!"
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