Leah Shoshanah
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Leah Shoshanah

Chicago, Illinois, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014

Chicago, Illinois, United States
Established on Jan, 2014
Band Folk Singer/Songwriter

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"Leah Shoshanah - A Child Like This"

FOR FANS OF: SHARON VAN ETTEN, LAURA MARLING, BRIDGET ST. JOHN

TL;DR REVIEW: AIDED BY FLUTES, MANDOLINS, AND ALLITERATIVE REFRAINS THAT ENCOURAGE SINGING ALONG, LEAH SHOSHANAH'S A CHILD LIKE THIS DIGS DEEP INTO TRADITIONAL FOLK TO CREATE AN ALBUM THAT SOUNDS REFRESHINGLY ORIGINAL IN 2017. THROUGH HER UNBELIEVABLY ADAPTABLE VOICE, SHE SHIFTS TONES FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT THE ALBUM BUT BALANCES FOLK MINIMALISM SO WELL.

Oftentimes modern folk albums are heavily influenced by the 1960's, as this was a heyday of acts such as Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, and Joni Mitchell. One can picture musicians sitting on stools, legs crossed, singing sweet harmonies over a lone acoustic instrument. This image so epitomizes folk music in my brain that I sometimes forget how far back the history of this genre goes. Aided by flutes, mandolins, and alliterative refrains that encourage singing along, Leah Shoshanah's A Child Like This digs deep into traditional folk to create an album that sounds refreshingly original in 2017.

This nostalgic influence is present on the subject matter of the album as well. According to Leah's website, "the title refers to the birth of an album as well as the content... The songs...explore childhood dreams, the meaning of animal totems, love, heartbreak, abortion, and summing up the courage to be stronger than you ever knew was possible." Even when singing about the innocence of childhood there is a melancholy to these songs. "I miss you my friend" she sings wistfully to herself as a child on the title track, "I'll always remember you."

Going beyond theme, this is an unbelievable display of music. As always, I have a few favorite moments to point out. The bridge of Dear Daughter that sounds like pure Sharon Van Etten, the achingly beautiful chorus to Oceanrider, the thoughtful guitar picking that introduces Skyhunter, and the stunning choral precision of the backing vocals on the chorus of Ai Ee Ai all stuck out to me. Shoshanah will typically invite a single instrument to emphasize her idea rather than hiding a bland melody behind a large backing ensemble. The pristine cello on the chorus of Somewhere In Africa is a perfect example of this.

Through her unbelievably adaptable voice, Leah Shoshanah shifts tones frequently throughout the album but balances folk minimalism so well. She wisely chooses to end with two tracks featuring no additional musicians or overdubs. "I fell in, I fell in love" she sings in an eerie tone. "I fell in love with the thought of you" she reveals. Nothing is simple in her messages or in her brilliantly written songs. Indeed this is an album that warrants repeat listens. - Chaz Hearne


Discography

Stillness, Solo EP (2018)
A Child Like This, Full Album (2017)

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Bio

Leah Shoshanah is a multi-faceted singer, songwriter & guitarist. Her original music deftly navigates the jazz, rock and folk genres in both solo performance and with her evolving band of eclectic musicians. A dynamic performer, her songs poke fun at everyday struggles yet also fearlessly explore issues like womanhood, survival and healing. Leah's music has been featured on WFMT's "The Midnight Special" and on stages at PianoForte Chicago, The Green Mill, The Old Town School of Folk Music, Martyrs and Uncommon Ground. Leah and her music have toured both coasts and garnered fans with every visit. Her debut album, “A Child Like This” (2017) features bold, heart-driven pieces supported by an ensemble of musicians. Her most recent release, “Stillness” (2018) is a solo EP of intricate and delicate voice-guitar arrangements with it's own flow of medicine and magic.

The daughter of a cellist and painter, Leah was fostered into the artistic world from birth. Yet, she consistently rejected a traditional musical path in favor of self-study, intuition and (what seems like) circuitous wandering. From age 5, Leah started to play and quit every instrument on the planet (mostly violin, piano, saxophone, cello). She spent her formative years exploring and performing poetry, choral music and musical theater. In 2005, she began a dual degree in Vocal Performance and Acting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, in 2009, left with a degree in Journalism. Later, she went on to specialize in comedic improv theater, puppetry and Shakespeare.

A series of unfortunate injuries during a trip in Africa led Leah into Opera Africa, South Africa’s foremost opera company, where she won an audition to sing in Carmen at the National Theatre. Carmen marked the beginning of Leah’s professional music path. Upon return to the US in 2011, Leah was rejected for several operatic roles in Chicago (due to her lack of university certification in music) and she subsequently decided to begin writing her own music and to teach herself to play guitar. For Leah, songwriting has been a hook into musical learning, a way of integrating musical concepts beyond “theory”, and a vehicle to utilize her degree in Journalism. Her main musical training comes from the rich musical heritage of Chicago— jamming with musicians, absorbing a range of cultural music and spending time at the Old Town School of Folk Music, where Leah teaches in the Guitar Core program and studies/has studied Jazz and Brazilian guitar.

 

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