Sometimes all the talent in the world really does mean diddly and all that really matters is that all the pieces lined up just right for an artist to get a shot at breaking through. Look at Laura Pergolizzi, for example; her professional musical career began eleven years ago when she released Heart-Shaped Scar under the name LP. It was a respectable effort, but it got lost in the shuffle because the time for it to arrive just wasn't right. The same was true in 2004 when the singer released Suburban Sprawl & Alcohol; most of the world was obsessed more with Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the Superbowl, a song called “Hey Ya,” the death of Dimebag Darrell and the trainwreck of Britney Spears' personal life than they were about discovering some new singer-songwriter from New York, so the album was lost as its predecessor had been. All of this must have been frustrating for the singer and, conspicuously, the gap which appeared between Pergolizzi's releases only ended this year, when an unusual EP/DVD set was released by LP's new label, Warner Brothers.
“An EP and a DVD?” You ask, “What an odd combination.” True, a DVD is normally included with a full-length musical effort and not something as short as this, but one look at this film and the reasoning becomes clear. After Into The Wild's title screen fades out and LP begins strumming her ukelele before a modest, comfortably seated crowd at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles the one thing that everyone – regardless of musical taste or sensibility – will say is, “Wow – what a voice” in awe. 'That voice' is Pergolizzi's secret weapon. 'That voice' is like Linda Perry, Edie Brickell and Brenda Lee all at once. 'That voice' is the reason a DVD comes combined with this EP; with footage captured of the EP's live performance, the DVD illustrates that, yes, 'that voice' comes out of a slight, unusually coiffed young woman – not a supernatural entity from another world.
The opening title track of Into The Wild tells listeners all they need to know about LP and her band. In it – from top to bottom and beginning to end – there is heart, there is soul, there is warmth and there is tenderness and it's all delivered by a group of players who clearly believe in it; as soon as the camera focuses on bassist Nick Rosen, he's already dancing with his stand-up and swaying back and forth fit to fall down hard with it. Drummer Oliver Charles contains that ecstasy with mastery here, while keyboardist Joey Dasik stirs in most of the color and thickness to the mix, and guitarist Josh Lopez and multi-instrumentalist Amir Yaghmai fill in any of the spaces she might miss. The results are a soulful and cathartic work of wonder that it's impossible not to fall in love with because it's genuinely, universally accessible. While keeping a very clear vision and singular style, LP taps into a spring from which everyone can take a sound or idea they like; there is nothing about this sound that is exclusionary, it is just for everyone and, on the video, it's possible to watch as the whistled melody hooks listeners; they begin to bob their heads and sway in unison a few at a time until they're all doing it.
The aforementioned accessibility of “Into The Wild” runs unchecked right into “Levitation.” Here, Pergolizzi belts out the kind of melody that most singers cherish and keep for special, platinum occasions in a jewel-encrusted box with an ease and generosity that is almost unbelievable. Many of the same dynamics and structures which drove “Into The Wild” fuel “Levitation” but, in this case, LP has further smoothed and streamlined the sound to bring a tighter focus on romance and the beauty of it. Hearts will melt as Pergolizzi lofts out lyrics like “Wanna put me on a bigger stage/ Maybe wanna go and leave again – not afraid” and listeners will eat out of her hand as she seals the deal with some death-defying vocal vibrato.
Other than their beauty, what makes these songs so exciting is that they're instantly self-identifying and stand the chance of being mammoth hits, but they're being released here in such an off-handed manner by a singer who hasn't seen a helping hand try to get her career on the fast track in eleven years. Because of that, one of the largest hooks here for some listeners will be what they haven't heard yet and what the singer may have in reserve that these two songs seem to appear so easily here.
While there are still three songs left on the Live At EastWest Studios EP and they are of a quality comparable to that of these first two, “Tokyo Sunrise,” “Wasted Love” and “Someday” more closely resemble the gravy included to make the offering that much more rich, or perhaps a second single to follow up “Into The Wild” and “Levitator.” Regardless, the concentration of awesome songs contained on the Live At EastWest Studios EP is proof positive that LP really is ready to be discovered by the public now, all she needs is the right arena to expose her as the star she is.
Artist:
www.iamlp.com/
www.myspace.com/lprock
www.facebook.com/iamLP
www.twitter.com/#!/lprock
Album:
The Into The Wild EP/DVD is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
