This week's new artist is the fantastic Lady Lamb.
Few artists manage to capture the feel of an acoustic folk singer while playing an electric guitar. Lady Lamb does that and so much more.
Lady Lamb was formerly known as Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (and before that, she was known as Aly Splatro). Since her debut LP, "Ripely Pine," Lady Lamb has progressed as a songwriter, disguising her pop sensibilities by shrouding them with fuzzy guitar and strained, puppy dog yelps. No two Lady Lamb songs sound the same, especially on her second album, "After," where she ups the production and the heart.
"Billions of Eyes" is a great example of how she added more color to her sound.
And that is what truly separates Lady Lamb from many of her counterparts: heart. She does not rely on lyrical tropes to get her point across. She is unafraid to encrypt her words, counting on her fans to pull meaning from the way she sings them rather than their surface semantics.
Her fans, known as the Tender Warriors Club, are loyal enough to keep her relevant and successful while still keeping off the mainstream radar. They are accurately named, too, given that Lamb's music brings both ferocity and felicity. Tender Warriors around the country got the chance to see their matriarch up close and personal during her "Living Room Tour" in early 2017. Tickets to most of the dates sold out before noon the day they were released. (This writer tried and failed to get some).
Her latest album shares the name with her fandom, "Tender Warriors Club" and Lamb has never been more vulnerable than she is on this record. While, historically, she has balanced her albums with both peppy and moody songs, this album is almost exclusively low-key. The fearless collection of beautiful ballads covers everything from fear of God to lost love.
Check out "Salt" for an example of the moody tone that "Tender Warriors Club" has.
Lady Lamb, in a few years, will most likely become the new Cat Power, adored for her work long after her prime. While that sucks, it means that original Tender Warrior is already and will always be a cult classic.
