CD Review – Lauren Houston “Roots & Wings”
12/9/2008
They call Robert Frost the poet of early 20th Century rural America - the master orator of time and space, so eloquently and unpretentiously depicting life around him. A century later and the rural America of Frost slips away ever so quickly that writing seriously about it is almost cliché. Another highway, another sub development, another country home gone. So, it is little surprise when a contemporary song writer and singer from Kentucky like Lauren Houston releases a debut album oozing with true country imagery. I’m not talking about Nashville country here. I’m talking about growing up in the Bluegrass state, absorbing the hills and streams and genuinely being proud about it. I’ve met many great people from Kentucky and they all share one commonality…they simply love their home state. Houston is certainly no exception.
“It ain’t no good unless you build it with your hands” a powerful refrain from her Flatrock Music Festival award-winning original song “Mason’s Daughter,” and an apt metaphor for this entire album. This is hand-made music, and most importantly a heartfelt presentation of an emerging artist pulling influence from the world around her. From top to bottom it is crafted with tender care, seamlessly written, recorded, dubbed, mastered and produced. Punctuated with strong arrangements and well-placed vocal and instrument back up, “Roots & Wings” features Houston front and center on 10 of the 11 tracks, with Wes Petzinger of the Downtown County Band adding his powerful original “Heart In Mind.” Houston also shares songwriting work with Terry Bailey on the wistful “California’s Burning.”
Houston’s velvet voice flows effortlessly throughout “Roots & Wings” and she finds the right way to present it, with a focus on what comes naturally. Back porch, living room style without force, strain or needless flair. It is the kind of singing your favorite musician’s record label won’t let them release. Of course there are moments throughout “Roots & Wings” that showcase Houston’s range, and “Wasted Emotions” comes to mind as a good example.
Just as strong as her voice comes through on this debut, Houston’s song writing prowess is also front in center. The first four tracks on the album are a tour-de-force of her ability to craft beautiful, original music that breaks your heart one moment and forces a smile the next. I’m sure “Fight This War” will be a fan favorite and as noted earlier “Mason’s Daughter” has already brought Houston critical acclaim. But the real triumph on “Roots & Wings” is the genuine diversity of the songs on the album. It is less a grab-bag of originals that Houston has penned over the years as it is a carefully chosen selection of songs that get to the heart of the matter; family, friends and the land she calls home.
Cole M Christensen
Sentinel-Tribune Arts & Entertainment Writer and freelance contributor