Based out of Austin, TX, Beth Lee grew up on the grit and soul of the Houston music scene, her dad a long time musician of the Bayou City. Since 2008, Beth has been playing live and recording her original music with Austin musicians that have an ear for her songwriting ability. Her influences span generations of blues, country, and rock 'n' roll greats that led her to a unique soulful, country-tinged brand of roots rock 'n' roll. With her 2013 release One More Time Again - and debut as Beth Lee & The Breakups - she began honing in and developing her energetic live performances. Her soulful, heart-on-your-sleeve songwriting style evolved to include a sultry, sassy, rock 'n' roll edge. Her last LP, Keep Your Mouth Shut, released in May 2016, garnered positive reviews from independent radio and roots publications, including a #19 rank on the Americana Music Show's year end list and a flattering review from KUTX's Laurie Gallardo, who coined the sound as "country-fried rock 'n' soul". It was also listed in Alternate Root Magazine and Third Coast Music Magazine as one of the year's top picks. Beth released a new album February 12th, Waiting on You Tonight. The LP was produced in the Bay Area by Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express drummer Vicente Rodriguez, and features Rodriguez as well as Chuck Prophet guitarist James DePrato, and multi-instrumentalist Julie Wolf. Veering astray from her earlier honky-tonk influenced brand of rock ‘n’ roll, the album promises to be equal parts roots and rock with nods to girl groups and soul music from the sixties. Still performing live and touring with her roots rock band Beth Lee & The Breakups, Beth displays another dimension of her artistry and songwriting ability with her new record.
Four years after the release of her critically lauded album, Keep Your Mouth Shut, with her roots rock ‘n’ roll band Beth Lee & The Breakups, Lee has stepped outside her Texas comfort zone to record her fourth album in the East Bay area of California. Having toured with the support of legendary Texas blues guitarist Chris Duarte over the past several years, Lee sought to explore another avenue of her songwriting abilities. Still seen through the same Americana filter that represents her past releases as Beth Lee & The Breakups, Waiting on You Tonight utilizes even more of Lee’s diverse influences, from her nineties love of the ethereal vocals of Hope Sandoval, to the pop-friendly melodies of sixties girl groups, the southern soul of Stax Records, and the unrestrained originality of contemporary Americana artist Nicole Atkins.
Produced by Chuck Prophet drummer Vicente Rodriguez, the 11 song LP exposes an intimate side of Lee’s lyrics and vocal delivery. Rodriguez, Chuck Prophet guitarist James DePrato, and multi-instrumentalist Julie Wolf (Ani DiFranco) create a muscular low end layered with influences from sixties soul, pop, new wave, punk, country, and rock ‘n’ roll. The album's title track “Waiting on You Tonight” was released just before the music scene lockdown in March; it "shows a more vulnerable side to Lee’s heartworn tales, without sacrificing the fire or grit fueling the sound.” (Laurie Gallardo, KUTX).
Lyrically, Lee attributes the inspiration for many of the songs to her struggles in a long-term relationship - a relationship that inspired her band name, the “Breakups”, as well as the title track, “Waiting on You Tonight”. “Waiting on You Tonight”, written in 2006 at the beginning of her relationship, became the theme of the new record. The songs show an optimism that had been hidden on previous albums, which featured tracks such as “I Don’t Care” and “You Can Be Replaced”.
Lee ascribes the musical direction of the record not only to Rodriguez, but to her musician father. Having formed her first band in 2008 with her bass player father, Lee adopted his love for Stax, sixties R&B, and fifties rock ‘n’ roll. These influences can be seen in “It Was Enough”, a track reminiscent of the Ronettes, and in “Understand Me”, a song that could have been on any sixties soul record. Rodriguez puts his California stamp on “Playing Along” with its Beach Boys-sounding doubled vocal track, and on “Four-Letter Name” with its laid-back Doug Sahm/Bobby Charles groove. The track most heavily influenced by Rodriguez, however, is “Waiting on You Tonight”. Originally intended as a slow waltz, Lee and Rodriguez played around on an acoustic the night before they went in the studio, and came out of the studio with an edgy rock tune.
Waiting on You Tonight is the culmination of 14 years of musical and emotional influences in Lee’s life. Since moving from Houston to Austin at the age of 19 to attend college, she has been playing her evolving blend of blues, country, soul, and rock 'n' roll in the studio and onstage with a handful of Capital City’s best. In addition to her knack for delivering an honest, soulful performance - whether it’s an intimate solo show or an uptempo rock ‘n’ roll show - Lee has made her case for her strength as a songwriter. “Beth Lee can break hearts and have hers broken. Either way, she can write a seriously eloquent song about it”. - John Conquest, Third Coast Music Magazine
This is one great album folks and a worthy addition to your collection which you can purchase as either Digital/CD/Vinyl from here or CD/Vinyl from here.
Produced by Chuck Prophet drummer Vicente Rodriguez, the 11 song LP exposes an intimate side of Lee’s lyrics and vocal delivery. Rodriguez, Chuck Prophet guitarist James DePrato, and multi-instrumentalist Julie Wolf (Ani DiFranco) create a muscular low end layered with influences from sixties soul, pop, new wave, punk, country, and rock ‘n’ roll. The album's title track “Waiting on You Tonight” was released just before the music scene lockdown in March; it "shows a more vulnerable side to Lee’s heartworn tales, without sacrificing the fire or grit fueling the sound.” (Laurie Gallardo, KUTX).
Lyrically, Lee attributes the inspiration for many of the songs to her struggles in a long-term relationship - a relationship that inspired her band name, the “Breakups”, as well as the title track, “Waiting on You Tonight”. “Waiting on You Tonight”, written in 2006 at the beginning of her relationship, became the theme of the new record. The songs show an optimism that had been hidden on previous albums, which featured tracks such as “I Don’t Care” and “You Can Be Replaced”.
Lee ascribes the musical direction of the record not only to Rodriguez, but to her musician father. Having formed her first band in 2008 with her bass player father, Lee adopted his love for Stax, sixties R&B, and fifties rock ‘n’ roll. These influences can be seen in “It Was Enough”, a track reminiscent of the Ronettes, and in “Understand Me”, a song that could have been on any sixties soul record. Rodriguez puts his California stamp on “Playing Along” with its Beach Boys-sounding doubled vocal track, and on “Four-Letter Name” with its laid-back Doug Sahm/Bobby Charles groove. The track most heavily influenced by Rodriguez, however, is “Waiting on You Tonight”. Originally intended as a slow waltz, Lee and Rodriguez played around on an acoustic the night before they went in the studio, and came out of the studio with an edgy rock tune.
Waiting on You Tonight is the culmination of 14 years of musical and emotional influences in Lee’s life. Since moving from Houston to Austin at the age of 19 to attend college, she has been playing her evolving blend of blues, country, soul, and rock 'n' roll in the studio and onstage with a handful of Capital City’s best. In addition to her knack for delivering an honest, soulful performance - whether it’s an intimate solo show or an uptempo rock ‘n’ roll show - Lee has made her case for her strength as a songwriter. “Beth Lee can break hearts and have hers broken. Either way, she can write a seriously eloquent song about it”. - John Conquest, Third Coast Music Magazine
This is one great album folks and a worthy addition to your collection which you can purchase as either Digital/CD/Vinyl from here or CD/Vinyl from here.
No comments:
Post a Comment