Anna Laube: Press Reviews

Sure, it's mighty fine to have that warm, tingly feeling rippling up and down your spine as you discover your newest favorite song by an artist to whom you would hand over the keys to your heart, but let's fess up: nothing comes close to being frozen in place by a song that pricks up your ears and leaves you begging, 'Who was that?!' I'm lucky enough to still feel my head swimming from such a moment. 'Something I Can Feel,' from the recent debut release by Anna Laube, Outta My Head (Ginkgo Records), lured me from the grayness of my computer and whisked me off to better, brighter places. Fans of Jolie Holland, Dolly Parton, and Sarah Harmer, take note: this local singer-songwriter has a name you'll want to remember.

Country, folk, and torchy pop gather like old friends in this San Francisco songstress's burnished tunes. Centered on softly insistent vocals (somewhere between Aimee's and Emmylou's), Laube's songs layer in plucky mandolin, quavering slide, and enough good faith to keep the campfire burning late.

Described as "a name you'll want to remember" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Anna Laube makes intimate, heartfelt songs rooted in traditional Americana. With a strong voice reminiscent of Neko Case or Jenny Lewis, Laube sings with a slight but refreshing country twang over a mix of blues, country and folk. Now living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Laube was raised in Iowa City, IA and Madison, WI. She's also spent time in Minnesota, Florida and Belgium. Her debut CD is Outta My Head. It's a collection of 12 original tracks on life and love, featuring Birger Olsen, Nick Moran, Jason Quever and Mark Whitcomb. The featured track, "Angelina," is and ode to Laube's guitar.

Think: Emmylou Harris meeting Aimee Mann and becoming one person (an altogether too forced Disney-ish romp that somehow works). Acoustic, atmospheric, wide open, and western. Dirt covered highways and the setting sun. Along with beautiful folk tunes, Laube slips into old ragtime blues quickly and simply (“If You Build It”). Listen to the gorgeous “Something I Can Feel.”

Intimacy pulls the listener back time and time again on Anna Laube's debut bow, Outta My Head. The deeply personal tracks, such as Goodbye Blue Monday, shut down the outside world. Laube sings of love on Beautiful Boy and Angelina (Angelina/So glad you're mine). Outta My Head is one of those collections that you want to listen to on your own, but part of you wants to give a copy to all of your friends, especially to those who are Norah Jones fans. Laube blends jazz, folk, country and blues in the style of Lucinda Williams and Tara Angell. She will be taking to the stage on Feb. 28 at The Smoke Daddy, 1804 W. Division. Outta My Head is out now on Gingko Records.

Sure, San Francisco music publications are raving about a talented singer-songwriter named Anna Laube in their midst, but hey, we had her first. Anna Laube was raised in Iowa City and Madison, but now makes the city by the bay her home, where she has received strong notices for her music, including the debut 'Outta My Head' CD. Mixing agreeably rough living room recordings with more polished in-studio tracks, 'Outta My Head' showcases a powerful and personal songwriting that's grounded but not bound by acoustic folk-pop conventions. You'll hear bits of Aimee Mann, Margo Timmins and Norah Jones here and there, but overall it's a lyrical voice that's wholly original.

Is there any ground more well trodden by artists than the vastness that is love? In a time when it’s frighteningly common to be cynical, jaded, and bitter about love, Anna Laube manages to inject new life into the oft maligned emotion in Outta My Head. Laube offers no easy answers in the album, but never fails to seduce with a plethora of beautifully written, authentic tracks and talent that is unquestionable.

Laube’s gifts become apparent right away with the syrupy ballad dedicated to one "Beautiful Boy". This boy’s got it all -- the heart of a child, the voice of an angel, and a remarkable ability to bring smiles to his admirer. Chemical dependencies like this don’t come along very often. "Beautiful Boy" is lyrically infectious and well complimented by Laube’s blues and folk influences.

The leisurely musings on the trials and travails of love continue with "If You Build It". Love can be a bitch, but is there anything more painful than love of the unrequited kind? Unlike in Field of Dreams, no one’s dropping by for a visit in "If You Build It". This whiskey drenched, bluesy track lacks the optimism of "Beautiful Boy", but no one claimed love was all roses. Best enjoyed on an overcast day with a thorn in your heart, "If You Build It", reminds us of the less ecstatic side of love.

In a distinctly dissimilar tone is "Angelina", an ode to an enigmatic, charming young woman who just might be from a distant star. Far from bemoaning a woman who is just out of arm’s reach or otherwise indisposed, Laube celebrates Angelina whose charms are quite accessible. It’s always nice when love finally smiles on you. Laube’s upbeat lyrics are complimented by a lighthearted, whimsical melody that can’t help but elicit a grin.

The remainder of Anna Laube’s Outta My Head is comprised of tracks that examine the perplexing, myriad complexities of love. Anna’s country, folk, and blues influences compliment the subject matter perfectly alternating between somber and blue and ecstatic and light. Laube’s vocals are broad and resonant, enabling her to reflect on love with appropriate gravity and whimsy. Part Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and a good part uniquely Anna, Laube’s got the pipes for this kind of material.

If love isn’t your thing, Outta My Head probably won’t work for you. Likewise, if blues, country, or folk doesn’t resonate for you, Anna Laube’s debut will likely leave you cold. However, if love is something that’s ever troubled or excited you, this album has your bases covered…in spades. Likewise, if you can appreciate a beautiful voice complimented by a competent sound that is infused with quality folk and blues, you can’t do much better than Anna Laube’s Outta My Head.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I must admit to being a bit of a pop tart when it comes to a woman with a guitar. Somehow they always seem to get fast tracked through the review pile, leaving ugly dudes behind in their wake. But, more often than not, I'm setting myself up for a fall, as the ability to pose with a guitar is rarely a reflection of any great musical talent. However, once in a blue moon, the system pays dividends. And this is one of those times as the ludicrously talented Ms Laube has enriched my day. A child prodigy, Anna has worked her way through symphony orchestras and jazz bands before bringing it on back home to an intimate, smoky, jazz tinged, late night, soulful, blues. Naturally, anyone working in that idiom is going to be hit over the head with the Norah Jones stick, but across the twelve, self penned songs, Anna proves she is very much her own woman. No more so than on the album highlight, 'The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen', which is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. A few others run it close - 'It Makes Me Happy' and 'If You Build It' are a joy to listen to. But to be honest, if this were a vinyl record, you could pop the needle down anywhere and be rewarded with a righteous noise.

"San Francisco-based folky singer-songwriter Anna Laube sounds like a glass of lemonade on the back porch of a Southern plantation. If you like Emmylou Harris or an emotionally lighter Lucinda Williams, hit Linnaea's Cafe this Monday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. and check out Laube. The multi-instrumentalist has an arresting voice, a keen ear for penning immediately affecting folk tunes, and the kind of crisp albeit unobtrusive musicianship that'll knock you back on your heels.