Tamara Laurel is not quite what you would expect. In this image-obsessed world, we all can be known to judge others by how they appear, delivering pre-conceived notions of their personality, their style and, in the case of musicians, their creative output. When it came to listening to Tamara for the first time back in February 2014, I was pleasantly surprised that this young, beautiful woman was making folky Americana rather than the country pop that might be easily attributed to her appearance. The contrast became even more striking when she moved on from her debut EP ‘Lightning’ and released ‘Whiskey’, the lead single from her first full-length record, later titled ‘Runaway’.
‘Whiskey’ is a beautiful masterpiece of a song, vulnerable, impassioned, dark and brooding, featuring a flawlessly produced build that would endear her as much to alt pop aficionados as it would fans of Americana. The track, about a love that is ruining her with its addictive nature, is delivered with striking honesty – and there’s a reason for that. ‘Runaway’, the brand new LP which is set for release on October 16, tells the story of a very real break-up, as she attempts to reconcile it inside her head, learn to deal with it and ultimately move on. There’s a definite sense of movement on this record, characterized by the regular references to running and the driving pace of the likes of ‘Come On, Come On’, which propel us as much as hold us in limbo as we absorb the incredible emotion on display.
We find this on the soulful ‘Bricks’, a song which starts softly and gently before growing alongside Tamara’s bubbling emotion, as she describes a stage of major relationship conflict and finding herself at a crossroads, with all the frustration that follows. The title track also runs in this vein, depicting her begging a love not to leave. It seems she’s unsuccessful, however, as the sweet ballad ‘Flying’ jumps forward to a time when everything’s over and her ex has found someone else. She struggles with the memories and missing what they had, as she grapples with her love moving on so quickly. “Is he missing what we had?” She wonders sadly, trying to convince herself that the answer is yes.
Further time passes for the hindsight of ‘The Unravelling’, as Tamara muses on the anger and bitterness that came with the stages of heartbreak. “I went off with him because I couldn’t get through to you,” she admits. “You said I was evil and sad and that might be the truth.” Her tone is reflective as she comes to terms with the mess of the aftermath, yet in some ways she has not truly learned her lesson. The final track on the 7-song LP, ‘Stay’, finds her back in his arms asking him to stay, knowing that she swore she’d never do this again, and that it’s probably a bad idea.
On ‘Runaway’, Tamara Laurel finds her musical home in the form of straight-down-the-middle Americana, the simplicity and rawness of acoustic guitar juxtaposed against more polished alt pop drama and rock grit. It is a combination that suits her and the emotional context of these songs perfectly, allowing her to flourish at the hands of honest music-making. Each track also showcases her voice in the best possible way, her beautiful, soulful vocals fluttering and belting at each extreme.
Tamara Laurel may have suffered from crippling stage fright when she was a teenager, but in the years since she has truly come into her own and delivered a fantastic collection of material that shows her to be a very promising talent indeed. I highly recommend you join the ride.
Originally posted here.
