![]() All over the world, people are hearing tracks from New Tricks on underground radio shows and saying, "Wow, who is that?!" Malibu Lou spoke to me earlier this year about how blessed he is to work with some of the best singers out there today. She's got wisdom, she's got talent, and she's got that voice. It's the work of an artist whose best days still lie ahead of her. ![]() ![]() But who says it's too late? Far from a post-script on Lawson's musical career, New Tricks represents its rebirth. "Listening to the fabulous New Tricks, one might be tempted to curse the music gods for depriving Cindy Lawson of the stardom she so deserved. “Love watching Cindy Lawson be herself in fishnets and looking girly while rocking out songs with a retro bad girl sound and a message that recognizes and empowers the good and bad girl in each of us.” - Ann Treacy, Mostly Minnesota From the crunching pop-rock of "How It Feels" to the sultry bounce of "I'm Not the Only One" to the garage rock inspired thump of "You've Got Quality" to the girl group majesty of "Dream Baby" to the hard-rocking grit of "I'm Loaded," this album covers a lot of ground without ever having to veer too far from the timeless structure of the three-minute pop song." - Faster And Louder The album was superbly-produced by Steve Price (of the excellent '90s Twin Cities band Rex Daisy), who knows a thing or two about what a rocking pop record ought to sound like. The well-named New Tricks incorporates many of Lawson's long-held influences (such as '60s pop and girl groups) while still sounding fresh, original, and modern in the year 2022. And her songwriting skills clearly never left her. To these songs, Lawson has brought decades of experience in life and music. After a long period of semi-retirement from the music biz, Lawson is back to completely fulfill that promise. You can go back and listen to The Complete Clams or the Whoops Kitty album and hear a young talent of tremendous promise. "Within the first 30 seconds of my first contact with "How It Feels," her voice had sent chills down my spine. In the end on this album we don't recognize any of these inspirations, we only discover Cindy Lawson as in herself with 9 songs that hit the mark, and a handful of which would be in heavy rotation on all the radios of the planet (well in a perfect world). "Pop 60's, Rock, Girl Group, Glam… and so many other things. This is music that should be on the radio-waves, or suddenly grabbing your attention as part of the soundtrack to a Summer blockbuster…" - Fear And Loathing Her voice sounds so strong, hitting all the right notes at all the right times, while the guitars effortlessly switch from one style to another, from delicate refrains through to hard-edged rock. ![]() "Sixties Girl bands, Seventies Powerpop, maybe even a bit of Glam-rock along the way. New Tricks may be slightly ironic – there’s nothing here musically that couldn’t have been predicted by her Clams oeuvre – but Lawson is doing it better than ever, so new ain’t as important as fresh." - Big Takeover Magazine “How It Feels” kicks off the short album with a rocking reminiscence of the teen years, and Lawson keeps looking fondly back on the wistful “Dream Baby” and late singer/songwriter Lori Wray’s wry “Nope.” But she’s still got her feet planted in the present, as evidenced by the rootsy “The Devil’s in the Details,” the power popping “I’m Not the Only One” and the angrily rocking “I’m Loaded” and “Let’s Pretend.” Maturity has been good for the Lawson muse – if anything, her songs are sharper and her vocals stronger now than in the heyday of the Clams. "New Tricks revisits childhood influences from girl groups and glam rock, and filters them through the lens of experience and nostalgia. "What a voice Cindy Lawson has!" - Lord Rutledge ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |