Lawrence Lebo - Old School Girl (2018)

The title of her sixth album says it all, for L.A. based Indie Blues Artist Lawrence Lebo is truly an “Old School Girl” and proud of it. This new album also features her prowess as a songwriter as the seven new tracks delve into soul-blues territory that pay homage to her “Stax Records’” influences. Lebo partnered with Rich Wenzel at Ardent Audio Productions to mix and master the album for his familiarity of “Old School” ways of record making. Wenzel places Lebo in the center of a pulsing rhythm section spiced with classic Hammond B3 organ, sweet lead guitar, hot blues harp and rock-solid bass lines.
The sultry ‘You’ve Got A Secret’ opens the album with Lebo calling out the deceitful ways of a lover who’s doing her wrong, with Larry David and Tony Mandracchia trading delicious solos on organ and lead guitar as Lebo pours her heart out. The title track finds Lebo laying out her retro manifesto, over a sweet swing groove and walking bass. She namechecks her heroes Etta and B.B and throws shade on the “New School Girls,” who prefer an Uber ride over a 57 T-Bird. The album’s lone cover of the T Bone Walker standard, ‘Stormy Monday,’ is given the full knee-deep shag and Sunday church service treatment with thick B3 backup that spins up into a rollicking double time for a fabulous harmonica solo from David and more hot lead guitar before Lebo takes us home for the dramatic finale.

We head to the bayou for some Cajun jitterbug dancing on the Zydeco spiced ‘Stop Shouting Your Business,’ with Lebo channeling the Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas, on the accordion fueled second line gumbo. The Memphis soul styled ‘Give Me A Try’ is straight out of the Soulsville catalog with a fatback beat, chicken picking lead and funky Fender bass from her longtime partner in crime Denny Croy. Lebo then lets it rip on the full throttle Texas double shuffle ‘Bad To The Core,’ with all of her sass and spunk front and center, declaring she is done “being good,” while Tony wails on his Stratocaster. The classic twelve bar ‘Happy Anniversary, Baby’ is a blues sonnet, with a lush string arrangement and emotive solos, lovingly delivered as a tribute to a soulmate who has shared all the good times and bad, with equal devotion.

Lawrence Lebo plays the game on her own terms, an artist who has earned her street cred “Old School Girl,” by working in the gritty clubs of Los Angeles, and by earning a degree with honors from UCLA, to become a respected American blues & roots musician.

Rick J Bowen



Track List:
01. You've Got A Secret 05:02
02. Old School Girl 04:19
03. Stormy Monday 04:30
04. Stop Shouting Your Business (Remix) 02:34
05. Give Me A Try 03:10
06. Bad To The Core 02:38
07. Happy Anniversary, Baby (Remix) 04:09
08. Stop Shouting Your Business (Remix - Radio Edit) 02:32

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