After a decade of fronting Americana band The Whiskey Gentry, singer-songwriter Lauren Morrow has stepped forth into new territory as a solo artist.
And on March 31st, she released her anticipated debut album, People Talk, under her own record label, Big Kitty Records.
Produced by Parker Cason and mixed by Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Phish) and Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, Shania Twain), People Talk finds Morrow exploring her beyond-country influences like 90s Alternative, Britpop, and 80s New Wave bands with moody, brutally honest lyrical content.
The inaugural track, “I’m Sorry,” is an emotionally rich soul rock groove escalating from light keys to a growling guitar solo. Throughout the track, a somber apology turns into a plea for forgiveness as Morrow’s lighthouse vocals are accompanied by heavenly harmonies. The song is a constant crescendo of tempo, dynamics, and emotion. “I’m Sorry” sets the tone for the rest of the album.
Morrow’s campy video single, “Only Nice When I’m High,” is a blend of influences striking gold by mixing the artist’s colorful wit and Americana twang. Her southern charm and unabashed lyricism is the artist’s own cocktail of creativity and artistry.
This single is a fresh sound breaking the bonds of genre and stirring the pot by not conforming to the traditional do’s and don’ts of country. Morrow’s syrupy soprano voice floats on air in this uptempo country-psych convergence of genres.
The title track, “People Talk,” combats people who talk the most yet say the least, in an uptempo riff on a disco-like beat. This track is equal parts danceable as it is introspective, making a concise social commentary and mincing no words.
Her writing is a vessel of truth and seasoned storytelling. The singer-songwriter connects with the listener on a personal level, creating a safe space of observation and discussion. Pulling on elements of pop through the decades, “People Talk” is a narrative on comment culture and one of several fresh concepts touched on in her debut album.
Morrow has spent the better part of the last fifteen years cultivating her own sound, pouring in a variety of influences, until everything felt unabashedly her own. Performing solo after years of fronting The Whiskey Gentry, she found it necessary to let it all hang out in her very own, individualistic way.
And this album is everything the artist wanted to say.
Commenting on the album, Morrow speaks candidly: “I used to write stories — made up things about others I’d imagined in my head — but this record is all true to me,” she says. “There’s not a single lyric that hasn’t happened to me in some shape or form, and I think it’s taken me to this point in my life to be able to articulate it and confidently stand behind the vulnerability of it all.”
Morrow will be performing a slew of shows across the pond this month and next, and hitting the U.S. roadways this spring and summer with fellow Nashville country songsmith Joshua Hedley.
Catch Lauren Morrow live with Joshua Hedley:
May 31 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
June 1 – Indianapolis, IN – Duke’s
June 2 – St. Louis, MO – The Golden Record
June 3 – Berwyn, IL – FitzGerald’s
June 7 – Newport, KY – Southgate House
June 8 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe
June 9 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
June 10 – Buffalo, NY – Sportsmen’s Tavern
June 11 – Boston, MA – The Porch
June 13 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe
June 14 – Vienna, VA – Jammin Java
June 15 – Lancaster, PA – Tellus360
June 17 + 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Baby’s First Rodeo at Ortleibs
June 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Skinny Dennis
June 22 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
June 23 – Roanoke, VA – Spot on Kirk *Solo
June 25 – Abingdon, VA – Abingdon Vineyards
June 27 – Charleston, SC – The Pour House
June 28 – Raleigh, NC – The Pour House
June 29 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
June 30 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic
