“Yeah it’s about that time that you contact me to make rhyme and reason of what we did, now that it’s been a year”

Greg Laswell - “It’s Been a Year”

Now that it’s been a month, it’s high time I start blogging again. More importantly, it’s the start of summer concerts and who better to kick things off with than Greg Laswell, again! Greg’s new album Take a Bow was released last month, and it’s currently streaming on his website. Now that I’ve given it a proper listen, I can say that it’s good stuff. It’s a bit darker than his previous albums, but that’s what makes me like it so much. When I saw him a couple of months back, he discussed some of the thematic elements of the album. It’s full of heartbreak, longing, lust, and moving on. (Grey’s Anatomy should be pleased with their new songs choices.)

The songs flow quite nicely on this album. The standout songs for me are “Lie to Me” and “Marquee”. I love the lyrics, the backing vocals, the musical arrangements. It’s fantastic. The only miss for me is “Come Clean”. It’s too raw. There’s less acoustics and more percussion on this album, which is obvious given that he’s backed by a full band this time around. It’s an inevitable step forward for Greg. It’s always fun to watch musicians grow and find their sound, which is why I’m glad I caught Greg early on.

If you’re into the indie pop circuit at all, you should definitely check out Greg. He’s a bit like Joshua Radin, Andrew Belle, William Fitzsimmons, and his female counterpart, Ingrid Michaelson.