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(7th June)
(march 26th)
SAINT'S & SINNERS TOUR
September 11th 2009 After full on year of gigging, Lauren is now in the middle of writing a bunch of songs for her album next year and planning some exciting adventures overseas.....................................................................................so stay tuned : ) October 26th August 22nd
April 1st An eclectic solo tour at some of Lauren's favourite towns. With prominent music critics behind her and a strong reputation for her captivating live performance, Lauren Thomson is sure to be a name you won't forget. So make sure you catch one of the following nights: 8th February
"True story: I received this five-song EP before Christmas, played it a bit then put on the "get to" pile -- which meant it was ignored in the Christmas shuffle.
The other day I pulled it out to enjoy again and post this week when an e-mail arrived from this Auckland singer-songwriter asking (politely) if I might be interested in writing about it.
You could say that was cosmic coincidence, serendipity or whatever -- or more appropriately perhaps in Thomson's case, that it was evidence God exists.
Not that she needs that: Thomson is a Christian of some persuasion -- but I would hope that wouldn't deter anyone because she here delivers a showcase selection of firmly alt.country singer-songwriter styles and her slightly detached delivery (more studied weariness than any failing) is quite compelling.
Here the title track ballad could have easily come from any recent and decent Americana album and the country flavours from the small band add another rootsy dimension. When the pace lifts on the brooding Autumn Rain the band really come into their own. Thomson has opened frequently for Miriam Clancy (whom Elsewhere tipped you off to long before any other media) and so we are saying here too is someone to watch. This EP (with only scant religious references) hints at a deep talent waiting to emerge. Can't wait for an album if the songs are as consistently as strong and well realised as these. "
- Graham Reid, Elsewhere "Auckland-based songwriter Lauren Thomson has built up a very strong reputation from her live work over the last year and impressed a lot of people with this album, a five-song collection that is indeed an impressive expression of her capabilities. Thomson’s songs are based around guitar and the voice, but one of the big strengths of this album is how the songs like Into The Way of Fools can be bared down to these essentials while elsewhere she embellishes the sound with a band who excel at playing just the right thing at the right time – letting the melody dominate Our Love Is Due, giving Heals My Wounds just enough groove and pulse, and adding dynamics to Autumn Rain, powerful enough to let Thomson’s voice take off and soar. The songs are full of country inflections, and it is no surprise to see names like Emmylou Harris and Ani Di Franco listed as influences (perhaps one could add Maria McKee to the list too). Like them, Thomson is an affecting singer who really knows how to phrase a line, and as a songwriter clearly understands the balance between words and music." - Waikato Times **** "To listen to Lauren Thomson's voice and achieve the greatest effect, I suggest dimming the lights, closing one's eyes, emptying your mind of all else around you and allow her bruised melancholic tones wash over you. There's something oddly soothing about them, within these sad songs a glimmer of optimism lurks that manages, oddly, to make them sadder. Beautifully sadder. A sound of hope shines in these dark gems that beguiles them. If Johnny Cash was a beautiful young woman in Auckland... " - Cheese On Toast
APRA Silver Scroll Awards
AUCKLANDER TAKES TOP PRIZE www.stuff.co.nz A first-time entrant in the MLT Songwriting Awards, Lauren Thomson, took home gold last night in front of a packed crowd at the awards' final. The Auckland singer-songwriter, who had two songs in the final cut of 10, won with the composition Where Would I Be. Runner-up was another Aucklander, well-known artist Tami Neilson. New Zealand Songwriting Trust trustee and awards co-convener Mike Hood said both songs were marked well ahead of the competition. Where Would I Be was one of those songs that was instantly likeable, even if the listener was not sure why, he said. Both Thomson and Neilson were in the south recently with the Saints and Sinners tour. Coincidentally, making up the trio was one of this year's songwriting judges, well-known former Gore entertainer Jackie Bristow. Hood said a new judging system, similar to that used by RIANZ, was introduced this year. While the names of the writers were withheld from the five judges – Bristow, Trudy Rowe, John Meddlings and Craig Reeves – they were given the soundtracks to take away and score individually. Their marks were then collated by Hood and co-convener Jeff Rea. Hood said he liked the concept. Sometimes if judges were in a room together making the decision, a judge who was not as strong as the others would give ground, he said. The songwriting trust's seminar was once again a hit, with about 45 people attending. Hood said securing tutor Pat Pattison, who mentors the likes of John Mayer, had been a major coup. The professor of lyric writing and poetry at Berklee College of Music, in Boston, had a unique way of teaching and it would be great to have him back, Hood said.
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