Lottie
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013
Music
Press
There’s an indisputable comparison between Lottie and Alison Krauss, that latter name being akin to various and sundry Grammy awards and recognitions. But unlike Ms. Krauss, Lottie hasn’t been on the music scene for long, yet her vocals are by far the greatest I’ve heard this year in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter genre. I’d even go so far as to say that Lottie, the southern, redheaded belle you’d think tip-toed her way out of a John Millais painting, will one day give Ms. Krauss a run for her money — not in a competitive sort of way, but a “we’re-both-that-good-on-the-same-level” sort of way. Lottie has her very own take on the velvety-as-molasses vocals. It’s one that’s the purest of its kind. In "Leaving the Labyrinth", you wonder if this is some sort of soundtrack for the sequel to "Cold Mountain": it has all the fixins’ for a home-grown Americana album, but one that is refined, crisp, emotionally devouring, and flawless in its effortless and truthful sound. This lady and her talents need to be heard by you immediately.
Track by Track:
1. Still Good: My first favorite. She takes you down a somber path, asking questions that have no answer. The pain is there in the lyrics — the quivers and aches you hear in her voice naturally expose the lurking sadness. But ultimately, the purity and goodness prevail.
2. My Favorite Sin: You get to know who you’re listening to with this one. Just as she reels you in on the first track, this one reels you in with the story. She’s vulnerable: you hear the fleeting hope in her croons, only to be dismissed by discouraging drawls.
3. Every Single Lie: The flirty song. The taunting grooviness of her voice helps you forget the sadness for a while and take a reprieve full of soulful teasing.
4. Yearn to Stay: She lulls and croons here just as you’d expect from the title. Right back in the thick of heartache, you can hear the actual yearning. The long-winded wails are so perfected that you begin to hear the actual cries.
5. The Sad Clown: The fullest amount of body from her voice comes in here: she shows her vocal range and power while keeping full control in this cyclical, back-and-forth wind-up music box tune.
6. Whole Again: The second favorite on the EP. A total 180 from the rest of the tracks, this one is daintily bright. The croons are still there, but in a celebratory, graceful outburst of subtle enchantment. - Mary Elizabeth Adams, The Orchard
Discography
Lottie: Leaving the Labyrinth EP
Lottie worked with composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, John Mock (Dixie Chicks, James Taylor, Nanci Griffith, Kathy Mattea) to craft this six-song EP that features a blues and soul fusion mixed with bluegrass-style vocals and classical instrumentals. Her songs are remindful of Joni Mitchell, Alison Krauss, and Norah Jones.Her songs deal with the fear of emotional abandonment and life’s insecurities, and confronting these demons head-on. Lottie's incredibly emotional vocal performance makes it quite obvious that she connected on a personal level to every song on Leaving the Labyrinth.
“I know something about keeping feelings in because I have done it my whole life, and eventually those feelings begin to eat you from the inside out. Writing and singing about the sadness in my life is healing for me, and I hope to help others by saying to them in my music, ‘I’ve been there too. I know how you feel. You are not alone.’”
Photos
Bio
“I have to do this.”
There’s an uncommon urgency in Lottie’s voice as she describes the drive that fuels her journey. She talks of being on a mission, of feeling guilty when not creating music, and of the regret she’d feel if she didn’t travel this road. She talks of feeling “at odds” with herself and feeling the opposing pulls of a simpler, easier life and this more challenging one that she’s chosen. These are weighty concepts and there’s a weight to her music. It’s haunting and her words linger long after the sound has faded.
Much of Lottie’s debut EP, Leaving The Labyrinth, sprang from the disappointment and disillusionment of a relationship that hadn’t fulfilled its early promise. In fact, as if stealing a scene from an after-school special, she wrote her first song the day she moved to Nashville to start anew – Leaving’s “Every Single Lie.” And she’s right about her need – the cathartic process of writing this collection not only served to further her mission of creating music that has both appeal and substance but also of moving her life forward and creating inner happiness – another, perhaps more universal, need. Leaving The Labyrinth leaves the listener with “Whole Again,” in which she writes:
You swept me off my feet, so sweet this thing called happy tasted.
And now, because of you, my life don’t seem so wasted.
There’s a buzz within my soul that keeps on hummin’.
There’s a beat within my heart that keeps on drummin’.
I finally found what I’ve been looking for, a love that’s true, and real, and pure
The night is finally gone, you broke the dawn.
The thing is, there's not a new love. For Lottie, “you” is music and magic and songwriting and God. For Lottie’s listeners, “you” can be any number of things – things that are needed, things they “have” to have.
But there’s also a lighter side. The catharsis of the first album has given way to songs that show off a fiery side of Lottie. As she tackles themes of rebirth, gratitude, survival, and newfound love, she does it from a position of strength and of victory. “When the pendulum swings one way, it always swings back the other, and it's sadness and hardship that make us people of substance and character,” she observes. Her loss was her gain, and in her new material she showcases a wiser, deeper, and tougher traveler along this road – one who is seasoned now to some of its bumps as well as to its breathtaking views.
One of the photos featured on Lottie’s new website is an apt metaphor for her music. She is shown sitting on the ground in front of a broken window, the jagged remnants of the pane still in place along the edges. But she gazes through, with light showing upon her face and legs, looking through the brokenness to the beauty beyond. She will continue along her path and on her mission, and it would seem that it’s just the beginning – “the night is finally gone, you broke the dawn.”
-Brian Horner, Sound Artist Support
Band Members
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