Tandy Culpepper Talks with Singer-Songwriter Lauren Calve about her Debut Long-form Album, "Shift"

Sep 21, 2023 · 29m 50s

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Recently I had the opportunity to interview the D.C. based singer-songwriter Lauren Calve. By her own wry admission, she’s something of a late bloomer. In fact, one of the tracks...

Recently I had the opportunity to interview the D.C. based singer-songwriter Lauren Calve. By her own wry admission, she’s something of a late bloomer. In fact, one of the tracks on her debut long-form album, Shift, bears that very title. The ten track collection was released the first week of September. Calve recorded the LP in Nashville – and, boy, howdy, did she have heavyweight musicians in the studio with her. From her website LaurenCalve.com:(Shift) was recorded in Nashville at 3Sirens Music Group with producer, engineer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Dex Green (Margo Price, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Allison Russell). “He took songs that had never been road tested, songs that went directly from my living room to the studio, and effortlessly brought them to life,” says Calve. He also brought heavy hitters into the studio: Fred Eltringham on drums (ACM Drummer of the Year, Drumeo Country Drummer of the Year, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson), Audley Freed on guitar (Sheryl Crow, The Black Crowes), Robert Kearns on bass (Sheryl Crow, Lynyrd Skynyrd), Marlon Patton on drums (Larkin Poe, Lera Lynn), Jared Reynolds on bass (Ben Folds) and Joe Costa on the board (Ben Folds). And from American Songwriter comes this praise:As the disc’s title and opening track imply, the songs are tied loosely together by Calve’s ability to understand and adapt to the various shifts—age, economic, romantic—that occur in her, and everyone else’s lives. Will it take me or break me under its weight? Or will I take it and break away? she sings as a slowly pumping drum thumps behind her like a heartbeat and guitars soar, then dive, with the dramatic yet earthy sweep of the best Tom Petty material… Calve’s striking songs emerge out of the speakers full and alive, making this one of the most notable debut recordings this year and worthy of the advanced acclaim from her peers.

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