(Photo Credit - Denee Segall)
Advance Review - Shannon Lay - August (August 23, 2019)
Shannon Lay's August features an eclectic mix of folk and alt that primarily focus on Lay's vocals and delicately finger-picked guitar rhythms. Some slight electric guitar works it's way on tracks like "Wild" but what really stands out on this tracks is the march feeling to the song, which is topped off by drum rolls.
What Lay does well on this album is show off dynamic vocals throughout the album that really serve as center stage for each song. This is a great album to drift away to on an overcast day. Every song stays centered and pretty even keeled. That is there' no certain moment where Lay jumps out and grabs you with overarching rising action. But that's okay, this is a folk record and that's the sound you're getting here.
Some of the aspects I did enjoy was the diversity of instrumentation used on the album. For example, "Death Up Close" features strings and a horn throughout. This helps build a solid foundation within the melody. Lay is also a strong lyricist conveying themes of love and loss so intricately and masterfully. Needless to say, Lay picked up a fan here.
Songs We'd Recommend - "Nowhere", "Past Time", "August", and "Sunday Showdown"
Rating - 4/5