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The best kept secret in music

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"Blair"

Blair is a young lady from New Orleans, LA who makes music that is most comparable to the likes of Jenny Lewis. Great company in my opinion and I am especially loving her song Mona Lisa. Blair's voice is relaxed yet captivating with a twang that makes me feel at home. She has an EP coming out soon called Pluto which apparently centers around the changes in her life and hometown since Hurricane Katrina.
- My Old Kentucky Blog


"Blair:Wolfboy"

I received an unsolicited EP in the mail last week by a New Orleans based singer-songwriter named Blair. From here bio: “I was raised on Neil Young, raised in New Orleans, given my uncle’s guitar at age 9, oh yeah, and i heard Nirvana in the 7th grade.” With an innate sense of pop sensibility and an intense delivery, her sound is described best as Dolly Parton meets Radiohead meets Neil Young meets uptown New Orleans.

Kinda reminds me of when Liz Phair was still good. Here is the first track off the EP. - An Aquarium Drunkard


"Band of the Week: Blair"

I've been in a weird music listening place all week, and I'm blaming it on my ridiculous work schedule. I've been jumping all over the place listening to really upbeat, dance-ish music during the day to get myself going and then turning it over to the more quiet, folk singer stuff at night to get myself relaxed and ready for bed. Now that I write it out like that it doesn't seem as strange as I thought, I guess my normal listening regimen is a bit odder in reality. Anyway, I've been listening to a singer/songwriter named Blair from New Orleans a lot lately.

Blair is precisely the type of music I need to calm my jangled nerves; quiet, mellow, deeply emotional, a wonderful lilting voice, its everything I look for when I need a few moments alone in my mind with someone cooing to me. The music is teeming with the hushed guitar sounds and lovely, melodic voice every singer/songwriter should have, but like the very best of her genre it is the lyrics that catch you, hold you, and draw you into a longer and more meaningful listens to her music. From the very first bars of music it is easy to call her the female Connor Oberst, but doing so is a cheap and easy way out. Instead of just copying the Bright Eyes style she adds flavor to it, using melody and her cooing, gentle voice to take that type of music in her own direction.

On her forthcoming EP, Pluto, Blair tackles the changes in her life since Hurrican Katrina ravaged her town and the songs that have been posted from the album are beautiful and deep and captivating all at the same time. I am really excited to have found Blair and her music and I'm hoping you all feel the same way. - Pop Tarts Suck Toasted


"Blair: Straight from the Plutonian Music Scene"

Every once and awhile a musician comes along that really grabs your attention. That one voice that makes you go "oh" or those few lines that make you grin ever so easily. Blair, anything but an alien species, is an intriguing female artist out of N'awlins who's rising faster than the launch of the latest NASA telescope that'll tell us (again) Pluto is not a planet. Her first EP, titled Pluto, is used as a metaphor for the impact Katrina had on New Orleans. Many of you are aware that the end of last year saw scientists claim Pluto would no longer be considered a planet. Blair felt it was a great metaphor for New Orleans saying, "Something is one way all your life, then all of a sudden, it totally changes.” Something that doesn't change on her own Pluto is solid song after solid song.Some like to describe her as Dolly Parton meets Radiohead, which is an eyebrow raising combination indeed, but this musical southern belle will strike more comparisons to Jenny Lewis. Their style of music is similar, but Blair has a far superior voice that hinges on melodic overtones and not the Lewis-like talk/sing style. Her smooth voice is almost what you'd expect to come from a New Orleans native, but it's the delicate arrangements and appealing songwriting that'll reel in a listener hook, line, and sinker. "Mona Lisa" showcases her songwriting skills while a large vocal landscape is painted with just three words "oh my God" from "Wolfboy". At 23 and fresh out of college, Blair can put the Big Easy back on the musical map as much more than just a famed jazz hotspot. - I Guess I'm Floating


"Orange Skies and Purple Flowers"

is a singer/songwriter from New Orleans, LA and her music is self-described as "Dolly Parton meets Radiohead meets Neil Young meets uptown New Orleans." I'm not so sure about the Radiohead, but her soon-to-be-released EP Pluto is filled with soothing country-tinged indie-folk-pop tunes. She may be singing about the effects of Hurricane Katrina and how it ravaged New Orleans, but (for me at least) the songs are calming.

Her beautiful voice and quiet acoustic guitar are charming in a way that will make you forget everything that ails you. There is (however) an underlying vulnerability that makes the music even more captivating. Maybe that's why I've been listening to these songs all day.
- Can You See the Sunset From the Southside?


"Blair : Mona Lisa"

Singing with a lovelorn, Judy Collins-esque voice, Blair compares herself to the Mona Lisa -- smiling or frowning, portrait or "abstract art?" The lyrical wit contrasts sharply with the sadness of her singing and the resigned guitar strums. It's a beautiful song and an auspicious start for a songwriter who has nowhere to go but up. - The Rawking Refuses to Stop


"Blair. Her last name is irrelevant."

She simply goes by the name of Blair. Her last name and middle initials remain an absolute mystery to the casual onlookers but, for some reason, it hardly seems to matter. Blair can light up a room with her effervescent vocals; one of the many staggering qualities of this promising 23-year-old singer/songwriter based out of New Orleans. As far as the anonymity of her name goes, it is not a big deal. She wants the attention on her music, not her personal life. If it worked for Nico, it can certainly work for Blair. Oh, and if she were reading this for some odd reason, she would most likely be peeved that I already described her as a “singer/songwriter”. As her press release boldly states in argument against the tag: “it would be more accurate to describe Blair’s sound as the musical meeting of Dolly Parton and Radiohead.” Hmm. Well, even though I am unable see the cause for even a slight comparison to Radiohead, her likeness to the most bountiful blond in country music is certainly justified. However, unlike Ms. Parton, Blair does not rely solely on her Southern descent to gain a stylistic flair. She also does not depend on a pair of plastic flotation devices to attract a male audience. Her natural skill of songwriting does more than enough justice in that department.

With Blair’s soaring vocals being both authentic and emotionally absorbing, it could possibly cause one to unfairly overlook her lyrical prowess. As she displays on her debut EP, Pluto, Blair possesses a boatload of talent, leading her past the formulaic masses of atypical feminine folk songwriters. While Pluto only contains four songs, that is certainly not the fault of Blair’s creativity or work ethic. Just like any lovable DIY artist, the only reason that she was only able to record four songs was that she did not have enough money for extra studio time. “It would be a full-length if money had been no hindrance,” she said in a blog post. “But I only had enough to afford a certain amount of studio time.” While the lack of material is disappointing, Blair makes up for it in the sheer quality of each song. She certainly made the best use of her insufficient studio time through the selection of four very wholesome songs. From the socially challenging “Wolfboy” to the tender acoustics of “Blues Song”, Pluto is one of those small releases that strongly echoes the wise sentiment of quality over quantity. With a sophisticated lyrical intellect that expresses metaphors of social redemption pairing up with stellar instrumental accompaniments, the delivery is a striking success.Blair apparently selected the name for Pluto based on the ex-planet’s now shameful classification as a dwarf planet. A longtime resident of New Orleans, Blair witnessed the devastating results of Hurricane Katrina first-hand. Keeping in touch with her apparent love for metaphors, Blair saw the planet’s sudden scientific shift as a metaphor for “life in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.” One moment all is well and, all of a sudden, life is changed by the unstoppable forces of nature. As Blair sings on the optimistic “Half Moon”, nature plays a powerful role in the lives of many, both in peer philosophy and sociological perspective. “No one dares to shout at the baby bird who flutters by,” Blair breezily sings over a fanciful assortment of keys and guitars. “In just one week he’ll make you cry, at the half moon.” Her artful intentions are only further clarified in the final sentence of the expressive song. “And the animals are pretty too, they can fuck you up like people do.”

Society is once again analyzed quite subtly in the opening “Wolfboy”. Known at this point as Blair’s trademark track around the good-willed blogs who have already posted about her, it is immediately recognizable why the track is so likable. Blair reaps vocal usage in the respectfully comparable vein of Jenny Lewis or Neko Case, using amiable approaches bordering on both country and folk. “Oh my god,” Blair sings hauntingly in the ardent chorus, as touching and emotionally bounded as the same exact words whispered by Sufjan Stevens in the exquisitely chilling “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.”. “Wolfboy” and “Mona Lisa” are both tracks that depict social isolation in its most effective form, with the latter being a humorous stab at the generally ambiguous nature of human emotion.

With a new EP on the way shortly, Blair’s fan base in beginning to pick up steam. The fact that several big names were thrilled to have her open for them is certainly a good sign. Cat Power, Calexico, and Bright Eyes are a few of those names who are also recognizable of Blair’s wholesome talent. Keep an eye out for this promising artist. When she finally manages to release a full-length album, I would not be surprised if it is received as one of the more respectable indie-folk releases of the year. - Obsure Sound


"Blair: Pluo"

On the surface, New Orleans based Blair comes across as almost bubbly, too cute for music with titles like Wolfboy, Mona Lisa, and Half Moon. The simple painted flower cover, the title of the EP; all of these things lead you to believe she’s exists with simple analogies and grade school poetry.

Instead, Blair’s youthful face is the vessel for and old soul with the faintest dark side deceptively hidden underneath a pleasant smile. Musically, the four tracks on this EP chug along, pleasing to the ear as you make the journey, but nothing that would make turn the car around. The happy, summery country tinged sounds really disguise the fact the songs are her way of dealing with the affects of Hurricane Katrina. The songs sound soothing to the untrained ear, but I’m sure for those people who lived through the tragedy along with Blair, they are actually healing.

Even the EP’s title is something more advanced than you’d initially think, as she envisions the fact Pluto is no longer recognized as a planet – something she lived with her whole life was suddenly taken away – as a perfect metaphor for what happened to her home. - Hero Hill


"Blair: Pluto"

Somewhere between Conor Oberst’s scratchy narratives and Cat Power’s soulful grace, you’ll find New Orleans’ Blair. It’s no wonder that she opened for both acts when they breezed through New Orleans recently. They are a direct influence on Blair’s pop-folk sound and heartfelt lyrics. These elements are what make her new EP, Pluto, a joy for the listener. She sounds more like a seasoned veteran than a 23-year-old on the verge of releasing her sophomore effort. Each of the four tracks brings a different sound and mood, yet they all complement each other. “Half Moon” begins with Blair strumming and singing with urgency. After about a minute, a steady backbeat enters which leads to a Flaming Lips-esque synthesizer jam out. Then Blair returns with folk-rock based progression and proclaims, “But in the bar / the place stays dark / hear’em howl / hear ’em bark / at the half moon.” Moments like these are what make Pluto sound so fresh.
- Offbeat Magazine


Discography

Debut EP : Pluto
Songs currently spinning on college radio: Mona Lisa, Wolf boy

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

In late 2006 scientists decided Pluto would no longer be considered a planet. To many, this declaration was the celestial equivalent of learning that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Blair, however, saw the new classification as a metaphor for life in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

“Something is one way all your life, then all of a sudden, it totally changes.”

Just as Pluto is no longer considered a planet, Blair’s new EP, Pluto, is titled after the sudden and drastic changes she experienced in New Orleans after the hurricane. A marriage of alt-country and folk-tinged pop music - combined with a captivating falsetto voice - Pluto aims to create the same kind of intimacy between listener that she recalls from her first experiences listening to rock and pop radio. A personal expression during Blair’s transformation from youth to adulthood, Pluto is a personal snapshot of a place in time. And hopefully, indication of what the future holds.