Volcano Volcano
Northwest Independent Music News November 1994
When compiling a list of up and coming folk talents in the Northwest and beyond, Laura Kemp is a name that should be near, if not at the top Since moving to Eugene in 1990 (by way of Madison, Nashville and Germany) Kemp has established her self as one of the area's best-known and best-loved acoustic singer/ songwriters. Her involvement with the local concert group Babes with Axes, including long-time collaborator Katie Henry, Debbie Diedrich and T. R. Kelley, has become one of the area's "must see" shows when the four ladies perform together. This album should do much to accelerate an already promising solo career.
The album, produced with flawless clarity at Eugene's Gung Ho Studios, is a solid offering of Kemp's most recent material. Gung Ho's Bill Barnett did a great job capturing Kemps clear, rich voice, allowing the songs to be presented in a light that is both intimate and polished.
Kemp's songs rely on well-crafted words and an even, controlled delivery, which allows the listener to catch the meaning of each phrase without labor.
Kemp's main' subject matter seems to rely on relationships, but there is none of the simpering "you done me wrong, new I’m forever ruined" aspect to her lyrics. Instead, her songs portray her relationships with such frank and open honesty, it is as if you have been allowed a secret glimpse into her personal diary. Whether autobiographical in reality, or simply showing the ability to get deeply into the inside workings of characters she creates, Kemp's heroines are both vulnerable and wise, knowing just when to say "see ya" and when to mourn their own uncertainty.
When meeting an old lover who has since married I Know, You Know, Kemp says:
Now there's no one around here, and in the silence I can see, that you’re sitting next to me and it feels like it used to be. But it's time now for you to disappear, 'cause I got things to do, and these plans don’t Include you, you decided that for me.
See ya!
But later, in a beautifully sparse version of "Too Many Times", Kemp laments:
After so many reruns of my threatening to leave, you should be as hardened as a thousand year old tree.
But I cried wolf so many times that neither of us knows what to believe.
But I can't believe the silence that you left behind. When you left me behind like I asked you to so many times. Too many times.
There are two distinct production value "flavors" on this album, the acoustic/voice with simple and sparse , support, and the fuller, backing band with backing vocals sound. Both are done extremely well, although there were times when I wanted to hear an additional player or two on a cut that Kemp decided to leave sparse. But that is the decision of the artist, and for the most part the songs work either way.
The simple rendition of "Roses and Hats" with nothing more than Kemp on vocals and guitar and Jeff Martin piaying upright bass including a beautiful arco solo is wonderful. However, Kemp is at her best on tunes with full accompaniment like "She's Flooded" , "I Know, You Know" and in particular, "Language of a Gun." On this tune about a woman resorting to carring a gun to feel safe in a changing, violent world, there is a perfect balance between Kemps clear vocal delivery and her supporting musicians. This song is just what AAA formats are looking for, and stands up to anything released by Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith or Mary Chapin-Carpenter.
This album is a great "next step" in a career that should produce national attention In the future. Guest performers on this album include Henry, Greg Biller (from the Henry/ Kemp Band), David Burrow, Jeff Martin and Jack Springett (the latter two I believe, are part of the Joanne Rand Band).
Oregon Daily Emerald ( Nov 18, 1994)
Laura Kemp delights listeners with "Volcano" ****
She is quickly becoming one of the top musicians in Eugene and in the Northwest. You can catch her singing in almost any circle of music, from folk festivals to candlelight vigils to benefit concerts to public free-for alls. Her music echoes in the capacity of the WOW Hall to ears of all ages and relaxes people at local cafes and taverns.
Laura Kemp has been in Eugene since 1990 and has become a noticeable figure to a community of eager listeners. Her latest release, available on cassette or compact disc, Volcano, is named for a house on Lincoln Street in Eugene that burned down a couple years ago.
Her songs are powerful on the CD. I love listening to the lyrics, all of which she has written herself, and becoming vicariously absorbed into her experiences and emotions.
The lyrics' meanings and significance are strong. I hear the intense fervor in Kemp's voice as she sings about her thoughts. I feel the ardent passion in each beat as she strums each string so meticulously. Each note complements the (metaphoric) sense to every word in her musical anecdotes.
Kemp has developed a unique style, which she uses to create a mystical sound. Kemp has a gifted ear, enabling her to arrange songs in ways that display perfect musical ability.
For fans who have faithfully listened to her first cassette and eagerly anticipated a second, Volcano was worth waiting for. Though it is not comprised solely of Kemp's acoustic playing, the music is extremely pleasant to my sensitive ears.
On her first release I Hope They Like the Rain, the majority of songs consist of Kemp’s acoustic guitar and rhythmic voice. A few songs include local artist Katie Henry's harmonizing talents and other artists' efforts. On Volcano, Kemp and her individual acoustics appear as an exception, rather than the norm. I hear a mandolin in quite a few songs, but it adds a certain mellow sound.
Another addition is drums and percussion. I have heard many of Kemp's new features in solo performances, and I like the single acoustic accompaniment. But, as I mentioned earlier, Kemp has a remarkable talent for knowing what to include and when. The only song I prefer without percussion is "Language of a Gun," which appears on both albums. The first version has a flute in the background, creating a softer tone and mixing well with the tempo for a more profound effect on the listener. The second has a rhythm section, presenting a more upbeat spirit but trivializing the serious content of the song.
Kemp has said she continues to make modified. versions while in search of the ideal one..So, although I favor the first version, I appreciate the second because it is the one with which the musician herself is satisfied.
In this talk of musical background harmonies on the new CD, Kemp has one song, titled. "Whitehorse," in which she sings a cappella. And there is a background beat of a shaker that adds a hint of flavoring, just enough to enjoy the notes of solitude.
To satisfy your craving for Kemp's music, I urge you to attend her CD release party Saturday night at 8 at Baba Yaga's Dream, located at 1235 Willamette St. You can hear her noteworthy sounds of music and you can purchase Volcano at this celebration. If you know what's hip, I will see you there.
-- KIM Weiss Oregon Daily Emerald
IN Town Review ( Jan 1995)
Even if you don't know Laura Kemp personally, a few listens to Volcano will make you feel that you do. Like the object of the album's title track, Kemp's songs erupt as four minute Bows (more often than explosions) of self-understanding. We all know the epiphanies that result from stewing over a certain relationship or pattern of behavior, but Kemp's gift is to be able to sing and play them as if spontaneous.
She manages this feat not only by crafting lyrics that reveal her puzzles piece by piece but also by singing each snippet of realization as if it had just struck her. So easy is it to be drawn into Laura Kemp's world that her accompaniment often rings as much like appropriate ambient sound as it does like a backup band. (A tribute both to the sensitivity of the musicians and the skill of engineer Bill Batnett.)
---F. Murschall
HEARTSONG Review (Spring/Summer 1995)
Laura Kemp has more talent as a singer songwriter than most nationally-recognized recording artists, and Volcano is a better album than at least 99% of those available in any national record chain, regardless of musical genre. It is fortunate for us in Eugene -- and perhaps for Laura and her music-- that she hasn't yet "broken in" to the big-label market. But the rest of the country is missing something.
Laura is a folk artist who -- with help from Katie Henry, Jeff Martin, Jack Springett, Greg Biller, and David Burrow - performs mostly-acoustic music, with electric instruments (slide guitar, bass, or mandolin) added on a few selections in what seem like just the right amounts. The performances are powerful, sometimes hauntingly beautiful and reflective, sometimes unforgettably passionate and driven. Laura's wide-ranging voice, alternately sweet, sad, angry, is wonderfully expressive and always beautiful to listen to. Perhaps the most revealing songs are about Laura herself: Roses and Hats , the sardonic If I Had a Wedding Dress : "If I could be happy in this life as is / would I become complacent or create my own crisis? / ... And if I had the clarity that often comes with age ! would I have this aching drive to fill up every page?", and Not the Dreaming, which closes the album. As this album makes abundantly clear, it's not the creative gift for transforming life into art through music, and helping others share in the experience that Laura Kemp lacks. It's only regular listeners outside of the Eugene area. Volcano may change this.
-- Chris Roth
Victory Review, Bonney Lake WA (August 1995)
Give Bob Dylan a good voice and you've got the idea of the impact of Laura Kemp's message and music. Sound and rhythm will sucker you into listening and then she'll smack you up side of the head with insight and direction. But you'll love it, and you'll learn. Sweet songs edged with Joni Mitchell accents, to hard-beat a cappella "Whitehorse," to bluesy "Had It Coming," you'll not want to quit listening until this is over. Additional musicians, Bill Barnett, Katie Henry, Gregg Biller, Jeff Martin, Jack Springett, and David Burrow grace thelyric sheet. If a picture's worth a thousand words the visions Laura Kemp's music calls to mind will keep you looking through a million images. It flows like lava and is hot as "Volcano!" Buy it.
---Nicki De
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