Thoughtful, heartfelt lyrics sung with real passion and arrangements that reflect the music that has inspired her.
Lara Taubman’s sophomore album, ‘Ol Kentucky Light‘, is smooth, stylish and soulful; a collection of ten new songs covering subjects such as mortality, spirituality, mental illness, survival and finding hope in our turbulent and traumatised world. “Music is a salve that allows me to excise my insecurity and discomfort. It heals me, and I hope that I can pass that resolve and reassurance on to my listeners, and that they’ll benefit from knowing they’re not alone.”
Recorded at Atomic Sound in Brooklyn, with excellent production by Steven Williams and Paul Frazier, who also play drums and bass respectively throughout alongside the highly talented musicians Etienne Lytle (keyboards) and Walter Parks (guitars), the sound is often reminiscent of Norah Jones or Madeleine Peyroux, with blues and jazz influences to the fore, whilst her country influences come across on the tracks ‘Silver Linings‘ and ‘Lamb To The Slaughter‘, when the band are joined by Gregory James Elroy McMullen on pedal steel. This track is the centrepiece of the album, inspired by a long life of anxiety and the consequences of addiction. “I was either going to die or surrender. ‘Lamb To The Slaughter‘ was the embodiment of that moment.”
‘The Water‘, a beautiful duet with Walter Parks, and album closer ‘Grace‘, ensure that as ‘Ol Kentucky Light‘ comes to the end of Taubman’s very personal journey, there is a feeling of new found confidence and hope. The mixture of thoughtful, heartfelt lyrics sung with real passion, and arrangements that reflect the music that has inspired her- “my home growing up was filled with opera and classical music and the classic rock of the 1960 and 70s, but Southern folk and country music made a real impression on me too”- make this an extremely interesting listen.
