Last year, we introduced you to the lovely Lisa Said, the singer/songwriter/guitarist from Chattanooga (by way of Cairo, Egypt) and her stunning debut, No Turn Left Behind.  She’s been busy – writing, performing and recording and this new E.P., Estranged, are the fruits of these labors.  It hasn’t been easy for her; the songs were born of an emotionally difficult time – separation, dating, separation again and dating again.  The mood and flavor of these songs reflect her feelings and she does so with melody and thoughtfulness.

“Some Dudes” is just plain fucking great – her voice is deadly smoky and sexy; the guitars are dirty and garage-y; she’s pushing The Velvet Underground envelope in a linear, poppy way and this is such a damned fine track.  “Regular Guy” is another dynamic pop piece with nuances; the acoustic guitar, which sounds like it’s almost strummed as a counter to the band on the verses, while the singular guitar notes (to me) recall some of Alex Chilton’s more textured moments during Big Star’s 3rd.  “Peel The Moon” has a country feel; upbeat, which belies the somewhat sad nature of the lyrics and “Up Not Down” could be looked at as either more traditional country or at least, Americana, with its use of mandolin.  Another perfect thread of melody.  If you were to look at this as a vinyl release, side A would be the “rock” side and side B, the “country” side.

No matter what, Lisa Said has shown in her two releases quite a range of style, delivery and emotion.  And an E.P. is always a good taster for what’s to come.  Another fine and impressive piece of work from an artist I’m unquestionably a fan of.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Estranged will be released on Friday, July 7th, 2017

http://www.lisasaid.com/

About the Author

Rob Ross

Rob Ross has been, for good, bad or indifferent, involved in the music industry for over 30 years - first as guitarist/singer/songwriter with The Punch Line, then as freelance journalist, producer and manager to working for independent and major record labels. He resides in Staten Island, New York with his wife and cats; he works out a lot, reads voraciously, loves Big Star and his orange Gretsch. Doesn't that make him neat?

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