Laura Love,
Fourteen Days
(Zoë Records, 2000)


It's hard to write a review of this album without gushing! I love Laura Love's music, and am delighted to be reviewing her latest release, Fourteen Days. It's a wonderful album, very high-energy and eclectic in its styles. The 11 tracks range from a quiet and beautiful rendition of a traditional ballad, through a cover of "Stoned Soul Picnic" that captures the essence of a lazy summer day, songs about romance, all the way to catchy songs with a thoughtful political content. And I do mean catchy -- any one of the tracks is is able to exorcise advertising jingles and Britney Spears songs from your head! (I speak from experience here.) Love's strong, supple voice and expressive range match every musical style here, and match them splendidly.

Romantic love is the subject of three of the 11 songs, love both happy and failed. The album starts off with "More of You," with the infectious chorus "I'm a little bit addled with you," which will get anyone humming along with its scat-style melody. It's a great introduction to Love's phenomenal voice. "Fourteen Days" depicts a rather less happy love, with its juxtaposition of end-of-the-relationship ill-wishes with a children's counting song form: "Three to hate you, two to think about what to do, then I'm going to be done with you." As time passes in the musical interlude, a year goes by -- and after that, the singer has gained some perspective and a sense of humor, and backtracks -- somewhat -- on the ill wishes. "Suddenly" is lovely, with a beautiful and haunting accordion solo by Nova Devonie.

Many of the songs have a strong political or protest aspect, primarily about the encroachment of megacorporations on our lives. They're not marching songs, or ones intended to get one riled up (which can get wearing to hear repeatedly); these are more thoughtful and personal, making one think about one's life and how these issues affect it.

Latin-flavored "Sativa" makes me want to dance every time I hear it. With the chorus "It grew like a weed when I watered it," the singer details all the ways in which she is a model citizen, except for growing "Sativa" and its legal consequences. But this sounds so grim, and the song is bouncy and reflective both -- an unusual and lively blend. Most of the rest of the songs are also political in ways ranging from subtle to explicit.

"In Seattle" is my favorite, I think -- a perfect mix of melody with lyrics to get one humming and thinking. So does the track that follows it, "Sometimes Davy Wins" -- an encouraging message when one starts to live and work in ways not necessarily approved by our corporate sponsors.

The album ends with a lovely rendition of "Shenandoah," one of the most beautiful and bittersweet of traditional American folk ballads. Nothing I can write will do justice to this track; it's worth getting the album just to hear it.

I've liked Fourteen Days more and more every time I listen to it. While each song individually is excellent, the album as a whole is even stronger. Its pacing and sequencing allow one to listen to it repeatedly, and it even cycles nicely -- if one sets up the CD player to repeat the album, "Shenandoah" is followed by "More of You," and this works very well. Many albums, even good ones, are hard to hear repeatedly; there so often seems to be one track that gets grating. That's not true here. This album has immediately become a family favorite, and it stands with the very best of Love's previous CDs. She's has such an amazing voice, and the arrangements and song choices are perfect for her extensive range.

The liner notes look great, and have all the song lyrics as well as some interesting autobiographical notes, and full credit, on a song-by-song basis, to the musicians who contributed.

I can't imagine anyone who would dislike this album, at least not for musical reasons. The politics might be off-putting, but only if one is a free-trade fundamentalist of the particular definition of "free trade" that's in vogue today and that is very tied in to the interests of large corporations. Other than that, I recommend this album, without reservation, to anyone who likes music. Period. Gushy, but true!




Rambles.NET
music review by
Amanda Fisher


20 September 2000


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