LAURIE MORVAN

GRAVITY

2018-04-04

Laurie Morvan is a triple threat performer writing and singing her own songs and leading her band on lead guitar. This, her 6th disc, mostly leaves her road band behind in favor of studio aces such as Tony Braunagel on drums, Mike Finnigan on B3, Jim Pugh on keys and Bob Glaub on bass. The disc kicks into high speed right away with the thumping intro to the clever "My Moderation" where Morvan notes that even moderation needs do be done in moderation. While "Twice the Trouble" walks down the well-worn path of lovers who aren’t worth the investment," Money Talks" finds Morvan alone and musing that even though money talks she can’t even start a conversation and "Stay With Me" features her pitch to a lover who isn’t quite sure they are a match. The title track finds her trying to pull away from someone so self-centered that it is fair to observe that “Gravity was nothing/’til you gave it a piece of your mind” and "Too Dumb to Quit" mines the same “under your thumb” sentiment. Morvan moves beyond romantic entanglement and plays the role of counselor on "The Extra Mile" where she gives a pep talk to someone feeling the pull of negativity, on" Dance In the Rain" where she proclaims you need to stand tall against hurricanes of trouble and on "Gotta Dig Deep" where she proclaims excuses have to be ditched in favor of inner strength. The wrenching "The Man Who Left Me" isn’t an homage to a lost lover but, instead, is her attempt to sort through her feelings about her emotionally absent father. Throughout, Morvan plays stinging leads that sometimes recall B.B. King or even Santana with clean, lyrical phrasing. Elsewhere she gets down and dirty and trades grungy riffs with the rich B3 grooves laid down by Finnigan and Pugh. Solid, original blues that leave the typical boogies and shuffles behind in favor of modern blues rock. Smitty

review by Mark

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