Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, producer, audiophile and animal fancier Lauren Wood has been making beautiful music for over three decades. Best known for her global hit Fallen on 1990's blockbuster Pretty Woman soundtrack (Wood was the only unsigned act on the multi-platinum disc) and '79's Please Don't Leave, a Top 40 duet with Michael McDonald, she's acclaimed for distinctive, sultry vocals, literate songwriting and the superior sonics of her self-produced solo work. Citing her "moving delivery" and "spare but infectious arrangement," Billboard's Larry Flick has previously written, "Wood has an earthy, deep voice capable of soaking subtext into just about every syllable she utters." Lauren Wood now returns to the spotlight with the new album Love, Death & Customer Service (LDCS) on her own label Bad Art Records, set for an official release in early January, 2007.
Early praise this time out includes fellow vocalist Patti Austin's comment that, "LDCS is the freshest CD I've heard in years ... and in the midst of a world where every singer sounds the same, Lauren has the freshest voice I've heard in years." Musician Dave Koz said, "Lauren Wood is simply a huge talent ... LDCS is filled with soul-satisfying songs with a unique blend of messages ... You'll get to the end and immediately want to have another go." It's Wood's first disc since 1999's Lauren Wood, and her jump from an eponymous release to the more evocatively titled LDCS honors major life changes including -- respectively -- the end of a long relationship and the start of a new one; the recent passing of Lauren's father, other family members, friends and a beloved pet; and existential vexation with post-modern life. "It's a reflection of the universe -- having to deal with endless automation before reaching a person who is indifferent," she laughs. "It makes me insane!"
It's a sentiment, of course, to which many can relate, as is the case with the insights and authentic emotions expressed via Wood's intelligent and moving songcraft on LDCS's 13 tracks. The lead single, Contradictions, is an elegantly delivered, jazzy gem spotlighting her signature alto that explores the paradoxes inherent in human relationships -- "You push, you pull/It's no good, then it's wonderful ... " The scintillating song -- was serviced to Smooth Jazz radio nationwide the week of January 2 -- also features the musicianship of Little Feat's Billy Payne on synth strings and Wood's cousin, viola virtuoso Novi Novog (her bandmate in Chunky, Novi & Ernie, with whom she released two Warner Bros. LPs), among other "friends of Lauren's."
Other stand-out tracks include Wood's hep and sparkling reinvention of the Zombies' classic Time Of The Season, one of only two non-Wood-penned songs -- the other is a lush and lovely cover of Joan Armatrading's Can't Let Go. The wry and offbeat alt-pop number Come And Live With Me -- LDCS's most recently written tune -- is already getting advance airplay at College Radio. Also notable is the inspired album closer, Walk Toward The Light, an over 8-minute composition, complete with gospel choir, which Wood says is about, "the sadness and the celebration that happens when you celebrate a person's life."
LDCS was recorded and mixed -- the latter by Michael Verdick -- in the artist's own studio. The mastering process -- with Kris Solem at Futuredisc -- took over one year, something Lauren says was a marathon even for her exacting audiophile standards, which are industry-renowned. "To allow the album to stand up to other records made today," she explains, "I needed to get it louder without losing the wide stereo and dynamics. It needed to be both loud and soft. What I found, though, was that the compressors took out the separation and clarity -- and the air out of my voice. I wanted this to be a beautiful, delicate, orchestral record, so we ended up doing massive experimentation before we got it right." Wood, who'd planned to become a visual artist before a crush on Paul McCartney led her to a life in music, was equally meticulous about art-directing the album's graphics and booklet, which features a cover painting of Lauren and her dog Norman by Bubbles the Artist (in collaboration with GRAMMY® winner Allee Willis).
Lauren Wood's previous trio of solo albums and two with Chunky, Novi & Ernie, her extraordinary success with Fallen -- which she calls "the little song that could" -- and other career highlights including recordings with artists as diverse as Frank Zappa, Cher, Sammy Hagar, Lani Hall, Nicolette Larson and Gladys Knight and singing the theme song for the long-running sit-com Just Shoot Me are a testament to her depth and range. On LDCS, she hits another creative high note with, in the words of popular WQNR-FM/The Rock Program Director and morning show host "Wildman" Steve Bronson, "an album with incredible energy and substance. From the smooth jazz-funk feel of Steely Dan to quirky pop tunes that bring to mind David Byrne or Ani DiFranco, to love songs with the depth and emotion of Kate Bush, she brings it all off with heartfelt sincerity coupled with a delightful sense of humor."
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