Music
Press
…a master craftsman of incredibly profound songs. - Sing Out!
On THE ROAD THAT LEADS ME HOME, LJ Booth brings us to places where his musical grace, eloquence, and warmth touch those fibers that make us human and connect us; transcending time, place, and memory. - The Minor 7th
….simply great music. I don’t know how far he has strayed from Wisconsin thus far, but LJ Booth is one hell of a yarnspinner and singer. - Sing Out!
LJ Booth is as literate as they come. As a lyricist, he has the light touch of Lyle Lovett, the unabashed honesty of Leonard Cohen and the sprawling, joyous life of Walt Whitman. The plainness of his imagery and the economy of his phrasing is only made more effective by his glittering guitar parts and the simple grace of his songs. - Performing Songwriter
Discography
Yarns (FJM-001) 1987
Big Hourglass (FJM-002) 1995
The Ox That Pulls the Cart (FJM-003) 2003
The Road That Leads Me Home (FJM-004)
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Bio
When LJ Booth released THE OX THAT PULLS THE CART in 2002, SING OUT! call him “a master craftsman of incredibly profound songs”, and John McCutcheon added, “few writers I know are as musical, literate and elegant”.
After two years of touring behind that release, LJ settled into a sabbatical, staying closer to home, regrouping and working on new songs.
The time away brought a fresh approach. He decided to sidestep the recording studio, in favor of “giving my longtime fans what they’ve always wanted”; a live recording of new songs.
Those live sessions became THE ROAD THAT LEADS ME HOME, recorded in several central Wisconsin venues. He enlisted some of Wisconsin’s finest studio musicians to help capture those performances, and the result is his strongest artistic statement to date.
With the new release, LJ is back out touring again, with that same fresh approach adding flavor to his live performances. Eugene Oregon’s Mike Meyer said, “seasoned performers are priceless in the era of short term ‘discoveries’ and LJ Booth is among the most adept and accomplished songwriters and storytellers in the country. His comfortable stage presence, stellar songs, and stage banter makes for a concert experience that resonates”.
His audiences have come to expect the unexpected. His stories and songs cover a wide range of styles, from tender to funky, from thoughtful to whimsical. And, every night there is at least one spontaneous combustion of a song. His ability to improvise is a part of what makes each show unique.
Drawing from those two most recent CDs and also his earlier releases, YARNS and BIG HOURGLASS, other artists have chosen to include his songs in their recordings and shows; including David Wilcox, Anne Hills, Chuck Pyle, John Smith and Carrie Newcomer.
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