Miss Lauren Marie - Introducing Miss Lauren Marie (CD)

All Music Guide

If Lauren Marie is a throwback to an earlier time, and her music is grounded in the country western and rockabilly of the '50s, then so be it. It's a little like listening to Patsy Cline if Cline had been more of a roots purist, or maybe Brenda Lee if she'd added a little bit of countrysoul to her sound. Introducing Miss Lauren Marie wears these influences proudly on its sleeve, delving deeply into both old songs like Gary Bruce's classic "Moody River" and newer stuff that sounds like old stuff, like Bobby Horton's "As My Heart Breaks." The name "Horton" also supplies something of a clue to Marie's sound: both Bobby and Billy Horton are on board, and both have worked on a number of similar projects at Fort Horton Studios. It's Marie's vocals, however, that really separate this project from the runofthe mill glance back at the music of yesteryear. Her voice, resonant but slightly sweet, captures an innocence quite foreign to contemporary music. "Three Little Words," for instance, is no...thing more than a little ditty about saying "I love you," and the kind of song that hasn't really been in vogue since Lawrence Welk went off the air. But Marie delivers the lyric convincingly, and if she comes off as a bit oldfashioned, then so be it. At just over 30 minutes, Introducing Miss Lauren Marie may be a bit short, but it's a fine album by a fine singer. - Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide Read more Less