Lauren Morrow : People Talk
You remember Lauren Morrow’s name from The Whiskey Gentry and once you’ve heard her wonderful voice, you’ll remember that forever. She spent more than a decade as frontwoman for the band from Atlanta but when that ended, Lauren began her solo career. Just a few years later and now she has achieved some nationwide success without ever putting out a full-length album of songs. That will change with the release of People Talk on March 31st on her own Big Kitty label. Morrow says, “In my head, I was thinking, ‘Geez, she’s in her 30s and releasing a debut record? Shouldn’t she hang it up already? Her time is running out.’ But in reality, I had to silence that negative voice and let myself show through these songs, and it’s taken all of this time and these experiences to really shape who I am as a human. I feel like I’m just now figuring that out, and now I finally have something to say.”
Photo by Mike Dunn
With People Talk, Morrow has found plenty to talk about and says these songs are personal. “There’s not a single lyric that hasn’t happened to me in some shape or form, and I think it’s taken me to this point in my life to be able to articulate it and confidently stand behind the vulnerability of it all, which isn’t easy for me. I didn’t want to be defined anymore by my past musical experiences or feel like I was ‘enough,’ because my past bands didn’t quite ‘make it.’ The new album is a collection of ten songs that Lauren says, “truly reflect who I am as a person and the sounds I’ve been waiting to explore for my entire career.”
When Lauren and Jason Morrow moved to Nashville in 2017 they met Parker Cason whose recent studio work includes engineering sessions with Margo Price, The Band of Heathens, and Elizabeth Cook. Lauren hoped he would inspire her to write the songs to move away from what she had done in the past and create something new for her first full-length record. They began work - writing and recording in 2019.
The ten songs on People Talk represent a sampler platter of Lauren Morrow’s range as a vocalist. The songs representing her take on each flavor of music from quiet tunes, almost whispered, accompanied only by acoustic instruments to big production numbers. Because it’s that wonderful voice that is the star, and what a treat to hear it shine.
Lauren refers to the opening track of the album, “I’m Sorry,” as “the most special song to me.” Right away the vibrato in her voice grabs you and as the song continues to build from its beginning with solo electric piano to the full band with a soaring chorus and lush backgrounds. (Try not to think of the Beatles as the song trails out.)
“Only Nice When I’m High” is the first single of the record and has an accompanying video that stars a puppet of a three-foot tall joint. “The song is a very intimate look inside my brain, my thoughts about myself, and how I fit in the world around me,” Morrow says as she explains the details of the song, “A few years ago, my husband Jason and I smoked a little joint before we went Christmas shopping, While we were walking through shops and chatting about things, he turned to me and said ‘you're a lot nicer when you're high.’ He isn't wrong.” The song itself is a bouncy sing-a-long ditty that is perfect for the song’s vibe.
The title song, “People Talk” is straight-up 80s synth-pop production even down to the saxophone solo! Lauren’s vocals are deeper into the mix on this track but brought right back to the front of the mix for “Its You.”
It all comes together on “Looking For Trouble,” a song that sounds comfortable in many different formats. Her clear soprano is reminiscent of so many of your favorite singers but still uniquely Lauren Morrow: understated and confident.
She shows plenty of confidence on the rockin’ “Nobody But Me”
I know what I am / I know what I’m not
A real live girl / Not a plastic robot
And you can have it all / Every card I’ve been dealt
I’m not asking for help / ’Cuz I can do that all by myself
“Hustle” could very easily have been a Whiskey Gentry song with its fun, sassy attitude. “Family Tree” reminds me of the song “If You Were an Astronaut” and Lauren sounds very comfortable in a familiar setting. “Leona” is another quieter song that allows Morrow to open up on the big chorus. The album ends on the hushed feel of “Birthday” with only the sparsest of accompaniment.
Morrow says her move to Nashville opened up new influences and grew her songwriting and the new songs reflect those changes, “I used to write stories—made up things about others I’d imagined in my head—but this record is all true to me.” She may still be a “dead ringer for a more famous girl on the radio” but with People Talk Lauren Morrow is introducing herself to a much wider audience.
Find out more about Lauren Morrow at the links below:
