Lake Lady – All Over This Town (2016)
My initial reaction was, “Ok, this is interesting” – it definitely woke me up. The feeling of waking up from the night before filled with illegal substances and you’re trying to come to. Kinda trippy. The intro begins with Charise Sowells’ sliding vocals. The opening line is, “There’s heartbreak all over this town”; self-explanatory really, a ‘love hangover’.
Charisse, an Oakland native, offers a sound with the obvious influences – a Massive Attack and Portishead with her smooth, deep and emotional Billie Holiday style vocals. I guess this is her signature sound, and she does it well. Unfortunately, it takes a minute to really appreciate it. It’s not something I’ve heard before, and that particular vocal dynamic is, at first, overbearing.
Put it on repeat.
It just doesn’t fit my personal preference as an overall single, but if you like that kinda thing, then this is the single for you. It is new, and sometimes it takes a minute to adjust. I’m going to listen to it more and allow it to sink in.
I think Charisse has something great happening here, and I am looking forward to watching her develop; however, I have to be in the mood for Massive Attack and Portishead. When I am, it’ll be a blow-out all-dayer! I think the same goes here for Lake Lady’s single, ‘All Over This Town’. For me, it’s not an everyday-er, but it’s still early days yet.
Lyrically, it flows well. Intentional, simple, rhythmic, poetic and congruent with the love hangover vibe. The lyrics aren’t mind-blowing, but the simplicity gets the point across. The overall production is done well; mixed well with perfect levels and execution.
Personally, broken-arse songs are not my favourite. Singing about heartbreak is a real turn-off. There will always be heartbreak, and with heartbreak come broken-arse songs. To stand out, you have to be unique; you have to offer something different. I believe Lake Lady has achieved this. She has a unique singing style, matched with equally amazing music. This is a great opportunity for her to reach a wider audience hungry for change.
