“From Here”, Katey Laurel’s new album starts in a very controlled and measured fashion. The foundation laid down by the instrumentation on the disc’s first track, “Begin Again”, gradually gains steam as the track rolls on. When Laurel gets to the chorus, listeners will immediately sit up and take notice – there is a catchiness present that will ensure that the track sticks with all that listen in.
“Everything I Love” has Laurel take a different tack, providing a much more upbeat sound than was present during the initial offering. With Laurel’s vocals matched perfectly by a male counterpart, there is a certain timelessness that is imbued upon the track. This means that fans of all genres, of all ages and predilections will have something that they can latch onto with this track.
Where the instrumental arrangements on “From Here” are all solid in their own right, the work done during “The Wheel” deserves a special note. With rising and falling sections and a continually vibrant and bouncing arrangement, the track is catapulted firmly into the realm of a radio-ready single. With an assertive percussion present, Laurel’s vocals are similarly tattooed upon listeners’ brains. “Blue Sky’s Comin” is a late-disc track, and is one that showcases Laurel’s desire to make an all-around strong effort in “From Here”. The track may not be as bold and confident as “The Wheel”, but is has a much more dynamic feel than its album mates. This is due to the perfect matching of the vocals and the instrumentation, as listeners are taken on a roller-coaster ride.
Laurel’s unique sound is one that will operate as a blueprint for further work in the singer-songwriter genre. While there are a number of distinct musical paths taken throughout the entirety of “From Here”, I eagerly anticipate subsequent additions to her repertoire. Check out “From Here” if you want to hear an artist that deftly moves between older and newer styles, always inserting her own unique take into each effort.
Top Tracks: Begin Again, Everything I Love
Rating: 8.4/10
Katey Laurel – From Here / 2011 Self / 8 Tracks / http://www.kateylaurel.com / http://www.myspace.com/kateylaurel