Review: Laura Catlow – If There’s Anymore More
The flavour of John Cooper Clarke, Sheryl Crow and touches of a chilled out Ida Maria floats around the scene that’s set by a trickling acoustic guitar slide and hollow, a little haunting percussion a la Rodrigo & Gabriela. This culminates in Laura Catlow’s latest mini-epic single, ‘If There’s Anything More’. A low-key instrumental option allows the prosaic lyrics that captures urban life and reflection to take centre stage. This bristling, cutting and poignant artist draws out lucidly the trials of being creative, but having to endure doing a tedious job in order to survive;
“We’re not sure where we’ll be in a year or more.”
The gruffer, more streetwise B-side ‘Chicken Shop Blues’, captures neatly the magic of and need for escapism. An aching toe is attached to this blues pop acoustic lament, uncovering the spirit sapping nature of the struggle to achieve that work/life balance. This former deli’ worker draws you into her cause, bearing out the power of acoustic music as a cathartic tool. The material is becoming more and more introverted and searching, as this delving songstress gets serious.
