Laura Baron - Scenes From The Avenue (2008)

Tracklist

01. Scenes From the Avenue
02. Drivin'
03. No Easy Way to Say Goodbye
04. Butterfly
05. Kindness Don't Rest Easy
06. Open the Window
07. North Star
08. Winter Don't Own Me
09. Skylark
10. Laundry Man Blues
11. No More Blues
12. This Ain't Love
13. Best Things In Life

"Singer-songwriter Laura Baron lives in DC, but her latest CD would make you think she is from New Orleans or Paris. She belts out the blues in a primal, earthy way. But don't be fooled. As often as not, her voice is delicate, reed-thin, pleading, vulnerable -- breathtakingly beautiful. --Pam Rigaux, Frederick News Post, May 2008

‘‘Scenes from the Avenue” has a distinct, in-the-moment feel, as though recorded on the fly, surrounded by diners and dreamers, burning cigarettes and clinking glasses. And from a fan of all crooners, from Dino to Ella — yes, that’s a compliment.

I’m not accustomed to writing music reviews, favoring film as the medium most suited to my misguided opinions. But it’s possible Laura Baron could change my mind.

Most recently I received her latest CD, ‘‘Scenes From the Avenue,” and a note to take a listen. So I did.

Baron has an easy way with a lyric — she penned most of the songs, here, save for three tracks co-written with frequent collaborator Pat Quinn, and two covers — and an elusive voice. It’s easygoing, reminiscent of Keely Smith, but with the bite of Natalie Merchant by way of Sheryl Crow, all held together by a harmony best described as haunting – not a far cry from Sarah McLaughlin.

Baron and Company have certainly nailed the jazz element — upon playing the CD on my car stereo, images of an intimate, underground club filled with smoke and song were conjured."

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