Laura Gibson assures us -- and we believe -- that everything will be okay
Written for WeHeartMusic by Gus // e-mail
It's easy to fall in love with Laura Gibson by reading her biography alone; she was the high-jump champion in her home state of Oregon -- home to a dazzling, myriad assortment of indie gods and goddesses -- and went to college on a math scholarship. What's not to love?
And all that before you even pick up her debut album, If You Come To Greet Me. From the immediate delicacy of the album's opening song ("This is not the end," she near whispers over a soft, wintry strumming of chords) to her strong-willed, emotional persistence on "Hands in Pockets," you know Laura Gibson is going to crawl into your heart and stay there.
But let's talk a minute about that opening track. It's obvious that Ms. Gibson draws on that font of inspiration so many artists do -- being, of course, love and the loss thereof. However, unlike her counterparts, she manages to take the pain of heartbreak and turn it into a brilliant, shining moment of heart-wrenching optimism. It's inspiring to listen to. To hear such a soft and fragile voice like Laura Gibson's on this song announce to everyone that despite it all, "this is not the end," is empowering. When she says it, you believe her. In this day and age, with the world the way it is, we need more Laura Gibsons. We need more people telling us everyone will be alright.
And Ms. Gibson's is an easy pill to swallow; lovely, down-home vocals laid over intricate tracks of steel guitars, horn sections, pianos, and the singer-songwriter's good friend the acoustic guitar make this an album steeped in years and years of down-home living. And with the help of M. Ward and Decemberists production guru Adam Selzer, this album is a dense, wintry jewel.
If You Come To Greet Me, Laura's debut album, was released November 17, 2006 on HUSH records.
Comments